Life of three
by GygyFr
Summary: Matt has an atrocious migraine, and he is forced by chief Boden to go home to rest and come back healthy for the next shift. But Gabby is deeply worried. Is she right or is she worried about nothing? Taking place during season 5 (before the winter finale).
1. Chapter 1

Hello dear readers, welcome to my new multi-chapter!

At first, it had to be an OS, but I realized that it would be too long: I had scarcely begun the quarter of the story that I was close to ten pages. (YES, there is no typo mistakes). So I decided to make it a small multi-chapters (maximum five chapters, but I am still not sure, since I have not yet written everything).

I would like to thank Texterlover, who helped me to find ideas to insert in the story, because, as you know, I'm not as good at writing romances (or cute moments) as writing dramas (for THAT, I take a great pleasure !).

 **RESUME:** Matt has an atrocious migraine, and he is forced by chief Boden to go home to rest and come back healthy for the next shift. But Gabby is worried. Is she right or is she worried about nothing? Taking place during season 5 (before the winter finale but after episode 5).

 **DISCLAIMERS:** I don't own any characters of the #OneChicago franchise.

I hope you will enjoy this little story ^^ And please, leave me a little comment (whether good or bad for that matter)

And have a blessed Thanksgiving everyone!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 1**

Matt was lying on his bed, he just had closed the blinds of his office. He only did this when he needed to be alone or with his girlfriend, and the other firefighters were aware about this. So, when they all saw that he was closing the blinds, the knew they shouldn't disturb him, but only if necessary. They resumed their occupations, meaning playing cards, watching TV, cooking, reading. Simply. But Gabby was worried. It was not in his habits to retreat into his office without her by his side. For her, something was off and she wished to find out what as soon as possible. So, she took a cup, his cup, and pourred some coffee, adding sugar and some milk, as he liked. She crossed the common room, worrying gazes coming from the other firefighters, she pushed the door of the dormitory to arrive straight behind Matt's office. She knocked slightly, careful not to wake him up if he had fallen asleep, then she entered without a noise. Shutting the door, she placed the cup on the desk before turning around. She pretended to be surprised when she saw a pair of blue eyes on her, but she slightly frowned at how tired he looked.

"Bad night?"

Soon, he closed his eyes, frowning in turn. He gritted almost his teeth and let out a small grunt that certainly didn't escape Gabby. Even more worried, she rushed to the bed, sitting next to Matt and taking his head on her hands.

"Babe, talk to me. What's wrong?"

Her concern could be understandable, but Matt didn't need this now. All he wanted was a quiet moment before the next call.

"Keep it down, please..." he finally uttered in a whisper.

"Aw..."

His eyes still closed, he slightly turned his head towards her.

"Migraine?" she whispered to her boyfriend.

"Just... A small headache. It's nothing."

"Matt, you already had headache, and you never locked yourself in your office with closed blinds to be in the dark."

Gabby was right. In general, when he had a simple headache, he took some tylenol and a nap, and everything went back as usual, but today was different. She barely raised her voice and he grumbled. He had cloistered himself in his office, closing the blinds to avoid the gaze of others and probably the light, lying on the bed with his eyes closed.

"Talk to me."

He sighed, his eyes still closed.

"Okay, I have a damn migraine."

"Do you want me to talk to the chief? Maybe he'll give you the rest of your day."

"No, no. I... I will try to take a nap, maybe I'll be better afterwards."

"OK, fair enough. I will bring you some tylenol, and I brought you a coffee as you like it."

"Mh, you're my love, you know that?"

She smiled, keeping a sly look, as if she meant ''I know'', but instead, she blushed.

"I love you too", she said, kissing Matt on his lips.

She left the room, coming back a few minutes later with the necessary medication to calm Matt's migraine. He took the medicine with his coffee and lay down on the bed. Gabby came to his left, placing her head on his chest. Hearing his heart beating and his breathing calmed her and reassured her when he was sick. And to tell the truth, it also apeased Matt. Within a few minutes, the two lovers fell asleep in each other's arms. They were awakened only to eat lunch two hours later.

"How are you feeling now, Matt?"

Recovering his spirits little by little, he noticed that his headache was still there, and worse: it had gone worse. He sighed in despair under the concerning look of Gabby.

"I feel like my head is going to explode", he confessed, muttering when he realized that his own voice seemed to be amplified by a thousand in his head. "I think I'm off for a few days."

"I think so too. Don't move from here, I bring you what to eat, all right?"

"Okay."

As Gabby went out to the common room, Matt straightened up and sat on the edge of the bed. A gigantic wave of nausea assaulted him and he had to swallow hard many times before it passed. He took a few deep breaths, calmly exhaling, closing his eyes, one of the respiratory techniques he had learned a few years back. In the meantime, Gabby arrived in the common room, taking two plates, two forks and two knives and using one plate to facilitate transport, under the still incredulous eyes of the firemen and now of Chief Boden.

"Gabby? Is there a problem with Casey?"

She turned, trying to smile, but she could not.

"Uh... Casey has a headache. I think he will be off for a few days."

"Tell him to go home and come back next shift healthy. Herrmann will got him covered."

Without saying anything, Christopher nodded slightly to Gabby.

"Thank you Chief. I make him eat, and I bring him home. Brett and I will keep our radios on."

She turned again to take the plates and cutlery, then went to Matt's office. She walked in slowly, putting everything on his desk, watching Matt on the edge of the bed still doing his breathing exercises. She was worried, because he hadn't done so in a long time, and when he realized it, it clearly meant that he did not feel well.

"Are you nauseous?"

"It's passing."

"Well, it should pass a little more with that. Otis has prepared his famous tomato sauce, the one you like so much."

"I... I'm not really hungry", he admitted, lowering his head almost shamefully.

"You have to eat, Matt. Migraine will only get worse."

"And if I eat, the nausea will turn into vomiting."

"Eat at least a few mouthfuls to please me. And make Otis happy as well. From what I understood, he cooked this because the guys noticed that you locked yourself in your office."

"Very well", he sighed.

He straightened up more, took the plate Gabby offered him and a fork, then she sat down beside him to do the same. Matt knew he had to eat to gain strength and to lower his migraine, but he did not have the heart to. He played more with pasta and sauce than really eating.

"Chief asked me to tell you to go home and get back in shape for our next shift."

"Gabby, I told you that..."

"He asked me what was wrong, I just told him you had a migraine", she cut him so he could not get angry. "Herrmann will cover you, I'll take you home. Come on."

They got up, but Matt sat back almost immediately, closing his eyes. His head was even more when painful when he was standing, he felt like being on a boat sailing on the high seas.

"Matt?"

"I'm fine", he assured her. "I'm fine, just..."

"Dizziness?"

He swallowed hard, nodding slightly, keeping his eyes closed.

"Okay, let's wait for it to pass then", Gabby said as she passed her hand through Matt's back.

So, they waited five minutes for Matt's head to hurt him less before he tried to get up. This time, he could put himself on his feet without much inconvenience, but the dizziness was still there.

"You okay?"

"Yes."

"Lets' go."

They went out together, Gabby leaving the dirty dishes and Matt's almost untouched plate on the desk, crossing the common room to the apparatus floor. As soon as he entered the room, the firefighters turned to him. All could see that he was much more pale than usual, and that he really didn't seem well. chief Boden stood up, standing in front of Matt.

"I'm sorry chief, I..."

"You do not have to apologize. This can happen to everyone to get sick or... to have health problems. Even the best of us."

Boden smiled at him, gently tapping his right shoulder to give him courage and sympathy.

"Come back in good shape next shift."

"Thank you, chief."

Together, Gabby and Matt, accompanied by Brett, took the ambulance to the couple's apartment. Once they arrived, the two friends put Matt in the bedroom under the blankets. Gabby brought a glass full of water and a bottle.

"Matt, I just want to check if you're really okay, huh?"

When she told him that, he instantly realized she meant a little check-up. It was his ambulance instinct that spoke mostly, but he suspected that the girlfriend part of Gabby was also on alert.

"Okay", he said weakly.

Brett left the room, going down to the ambulance to bring back what they needed, meaning what Gabby hadn't directly requested but would be useful. She passed her hand over Matt's forehead.

"You don't look feverish, it's a good sign."

"I tell you, Gabby. It's just a migraine like I've had before."

"Remind me when was your last migraine?"

Both of them knew the answer to her question. The last migraine he had had was almost three years ago, after his fractured skull. This moment had been terribly difficult to pass, and the two soul-mates remembered it perfectly, as if it was yesterday. Brett then came back with one of the medical kits and pulled out a stethoscope to listen to Matt's heart and breath, a tensiometer to measure his blood pressure and a frontal thermometer. It took the two young women about five minutes.

"Your blood pressure is a little high, 143 over 87. But due to your migraine, this is not alarming. What is important is that your breathing is normal, your heart rate too and you don't have fever."

Brett closed the curtains of the room while Gabby lit the bedside lamp.

"I put the box of tylenol next to the glass of water, but you only take it every six hours, okay?"

"Gabby..."

"Okay, okay", she said, raising her arms.

Obviously, he knew that the prescribed doses were six hours by six hours, otherwise he could get intoxicated and overdose. He was not that stupid.

"You call if you're really not in shape, okay?"

"Yes Gabby, I will call you if I have a problem", he said. "I promise you."

He also forced a smile, and Gabby came to kiss him as Brett was going to the ambulance again with the first aid kit.

"Rest well."

"I plan on it."

On this, she went to join her teammate at the ambulance while Matt fell asleep. When he awoke, his ears ringed and buzzed like never before. His body was moving in every direction, even though he was aware that he wasn't moving an inch. A hammer hit hard on his skull. He dared not open his eyes because this so much pain in his head paralyzing him. He could hear his own breath as if he was listening to it through a stethoscope, he could feel the pulsation of his heart entering his brain and spreading, as if he could listen to his own blood system animating. He decided to take huge breath, working to fight against this atrocious migraine invading him. But nothing worked. He didn't know what time it was, but he could feel a little light on his face coming from the left, a light coming from the closed curtains. So, it was still daylight. Trying to listen to what his body had to say, he held back a new wave of nausea by swallowing his saliva. He finally decided to open his eyes, at least to find out how long he had slept while the migraine was getting worse. His vision was slightly blurred, and he took a few minutes to adjust so he wouldn't get dizzy again. But as soon as he turned his head, the world around him was shaken on every side. He gritted his teeth, trying to avoid a growl despite being alone in the apartment, then grabbed his phone, which Gabby had placed on the bedside table, with great difficulty. He lit it. He remained still because of the hour it was; 6:30pm. He had slept for nearly six hours. He took the glass of water in his hand, but he had to rest it hastily as he felt weak. Therefore, he took the medication and put it in his mouth, then he took the glass again, held by the base with his free hand to bring it to his mouth. He drank a few sips, relieving the nausea he still had. He had to eat, even if it was only a mouthful of something, he had to. He had barely eaten anything of the day and if he suddenly began to vomit, he would have nothing to spit apart from the bile. Then, gently, he positioned himself on the edge of the bed, continuing to breathe deeply. Almost five minutes passed before he got up. Standing was even worse than being lying or sitting. Everything he saw was distorted, but he strove to stagger into the nearby kitchen to prepare a simple sandwich. He took out the bread, the butter, and the ham, and as he made this famous sandwich, enormous waves of buzz coming from his ears came to paralyze him. He had never known that before, and that worried him terribly. Sink into the unknown. He sighed in despair, because even if he wanted to eat the sandwich in order to recover his strength, he felt sick of having to do so. The loss of appetite, dizziness, nausea, gigantic headaches, amplified sounds were all part of this vicious circle that a migraine put in place. He took his sandwich, a plate and decided to go back into the bedroom, in a place in the dark where he felt a little better than in the large living room. He put the plate on the bedside table as he sat on the edge of the bed, drinking a few more sips of water before filling the glass again. The hammer still clapped on his skull, and he closed his eyes to counteract the abusive effects of it. Lying down and waiting for it to go away seemed to be the best solution for him, even though he felt that this migraine was not ordinary. He had already had dozens after his accident, but never he had faced a migraine as atrocious as the one he was experiencing. Something was really wrong, but his body almost didn't respond when he lay down and covered himself with blankets. He then closed his eyes, falling into a new deep sleep stained by this horrible headache.


	2. Chapter 2

HELLO!

What a surprise to see all these reviews within one day! You got me on that one, I didn't expect that much! This is the first time I've had so much reviews for one chapter *"I love you" face*

I bet you have a lot of question in mind, I can understand why (obviously), but I can't really answer your question (otherwise I will spoil you the rest of the story).

YES, he's going to suffer like hell. YES, there are more chapters coming up soon. YES, there will be some cute moments after all (and funny ones sometimes). But NO, I can't tell you more ^^

I will try to update every day though, so... ENJOY!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 2**

"Matt? Matt!"

Something was rubbed in the middle of the ribs, on his sternum. He felt his body move, he heard an enormous cry, someone calling him. He frowned, he grunted as he turned his head slightly toward that strident voice that was repeating his name.

"Stop...", he managed to pronounce.

Almost immediately, the shaking stopped and he could hear a long sigh. A few frozen fingers came to rest on his wrist, and he then understood that someone was near him.

"Gabby?"

The fingers went away, and he forced himself to open his eyes. This thin blur was still present, and he also noticed that his ears had begun to buzz again immediately after he had been awakened. An icy hand came to rest on his left cheek, turning his head to the right.

"Matt, I called you, but you never answered."

By the time he understood what she had just heard, he blinked several times to evacuate his blurred vision, but nothing changed. And suddenly, the information struck him. Gabby had called? When? He didn't remember anything, just having fallen asleep... How long had he slept? Everything was so confused in his head.

"You called?"

"Many times! I asked chief Boden to report my guard to be with you. I got worried sick!"

Gabby tried to hide it above all, but when she first called, she was not at all worried, on the contrary. She had just thought that her lover was sleeping peacefully and was going to wake up at the phone ring and that he was going to call her back. But after ten minutes, she had received no messages, no calls, nothing. She called a second time, a third, then a fourth and a fifth time, and every time, she had the answering. As she called, her anxiety grew by leaps and bounds. Seeing that, Brett had tried to reassure her by suggesting that they should go back to the apartment, but she declined the invitation, preferring to ask her boss if she could leave to be with Matt and do her shift later. She hadn't hidden the panic that gnawed at her more and more, but Boden didn't even ask him the question, feeling inwardly that it was about Casey. When he had granted her this request, she had thanked him and had immediately rushed to her car to go back to the apartment. It was only by passing the threshold of the door that she understood that something was wrong. The apartment was quiet, there was no one in the kitchen or in the living room, she couldn't hear the water, so Matt was not taking a shower. She had put down her bag on the floor, closing the key door before heading towards the room. Upon entering it, she saw that Matt was asleep, and that had reassured and worried her even more at the same time. In fact, she thought he had not left the bed since his arrival, but turning her head to the left, she had seen the sandwich he had prepared. She had sighed slightly by relief, because at least he had got up to prepare something, even if he hadn't been able to eat. She had then leaned over her man, gently placing her right hand on his shoulder.

"Matt?"

Not responding to her call, she frowned. She shook him a little, but nothing worked, he didn't answer.

"Matt?"

She had completely put him on his back, suddenly removing the blankets on him and began to shake her fist on his sternum until he responded, to her relief.

"What time is it?"

Quickly, Gabby looked at her watch before concentrating again on Matt's eyes.

"Three in the morning."

Matt couldn't believe it. He had slept two hours this morning, six hours after lunch, and now nine more hours? So why did he still feel so tired? Why was his excruciating headache always present, always spoiling his life? In a long groan, he straightened up to sit down and pulled his legs out of the bed. A great shudder ran through his back, slowly passing over his spine. He frowned, discovering that now, when he was seated, he hadn't as much headache as before, and that the nausea had almost disappeared.

"You okay?"

"Uh... Better than a few hours ago", he confessed, smiling.

Instinctively, Gabby passed her hand over his forehead, as she had done after lunch.

"You still have no fever", she reassured him.

As usual when he felt bad, she passed her hand at the base of his neck, massaging the area between his ears to relax. If Matt had been a cat, he would be purring so much as it made him feel better. But suddenly, Gabby stopped, frowning. She pressed her fingers just over her left ear, massaging a part that was starting to hurt Matt.

"What's wrong?"

"You, uh... You have a bump, just where I'm massaging."

In turn, Matt frowned, and reached the area with his own hand to feel a small well shaped bump.

"Matt, answer me honestly, I beg you. Have you... Have you bumped your head recently?"

Her question was littered with anxiety. But Matt understood the reason: the slightest shock to the head could be problematic for him. Then, he thought for long seconds, making his life from that moment until perhaps finding the moment when he would have bumped his head.

"Um... the fire", he said very imprecisely.

"The fire?"

"This morning, the structure fire... Uh, I was looking after the father, and... He panicked and he pushed me really hard. I lost my balance and my head hit the wall when my helmet fell, but..."

"Matt!" She interrupted him before he could finish his sentence.

"But it was not violent, Gabby! It was just a little shock like when I banged on the table three months ago", he tried to reassure her.

She was about to answer him, but she held back, closing her mouth and breathing deeply to calm herself.

"Matt... The place where you bumped your head has already been weakened by a fracture. Even a small shock can cause a lot of damage now", she explained calmly.

She didn't want to rush him, because after all, he was the one who had to know his own body better than herself.

"We should go check in the hospital, you might have a concussion. And doctors could probably give you something more effective than tylenol."

"Gabby, it's just a migraine, it's gonna pass. Like the last time. If it really gets worse, then okay, we'll go. To reassure you, but by then, it will get better."

She said nothing, continuing to massage the base of Matt's neck. After that, he felt slightly better. The hammer had almost stopped banging on his skull, his vision had become less blurred, and even though his ears were still ringing, the nausea was passing by.

"When did you have your last tylenol?"

"The last time I got up."

"Meaning?"

"Nine hours ago."

Gabby's eyes widened and she opened her mouth, but as she was shocked and surprised, no words came out.

"I know, it's a lot", he said before sighing. "Listen, the last migraine I had was due to my lack of sleep. I had very bad sleep the previous days and it went away with a lot of rest. I have hardly slept for a few days because I have a lot to think about, that's all. I have a migraine because I haven't slept enough, quite simply."

"If you say so..."

"Gabby..."

"Alright Alright. We're gonna make a deal. You get a lot of rest, you drink water a lot, you eat even if you are not hungry, and if the migraine gets worse, we go to the hospital, okay?"

Matt knew he couldn't fight Gabby, he knew she was stronger than him on that one. So, he nodded softly.

"What about Louie?"

"I'll take care of him, don't worry about it", she said with a smile. "Take your medicine, I'll get you a little soup. I have everything I need for that."

"Gabby, it's three in the morning."

"Matt, you only ate something this morning, and you ate three pasta fighting a duel at lunch! You. Have. To eat. Now."

He sighed, feeling the crushing defeat he had just taken. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, shaking his head very slightly from side to side.

"Fine. I have time to take a shower? Maybe that would relax me a bit."

"If I finish before I hear the water stop, I'll join you. I haven't taken a shower since this morning."

"Whence the odor...", he teased her, smiling proudly.

Gabby turned, bending a shocked head by what he had just said, opening her mouth completely. But she began to laugh.

"Do not take advantage of your calamitous situation!"

But even if she wanted to appear offended by this accusation from Matt, she could not help but to kiss him tenderly.

"You know that making love helps a migraine to fade away?" Matt stated, laughing.

Gabby straightened up to meet Matt's gaze. It was filled with satisfaction.

"You know what? Just because you told me I was stinking, you will be deprived of sex for a month."

Matt couldn't help but to let out a little laugh.

"You? A month without sex? Okay, I bet you can't handle it."

Gabby couldn't resist to hit Matt tenderly on his left arm as he laughed. The two lovers knew that she was the biggest trigger of torrid moments between them, she was the one who would be complaining of the deprivation of sex. She kissed him again as he continued to laugh, asking him to go take a shower while she was preparing something to eat. He went to the bathroom, staggering as she left for the kitchen. His plan had partly worked: he knew that Gabby was worried about his migraine, but he had managed to make her somehow forget that by attacking her on something that often made her laugh. He was happy with that, because having his worried girlfriend on his back was not easy to live with, saying all the time that he was fine, trying to reassure her when nothing was working or almost nothing. He looked at himself in the mirror, passing his fingers again on the small bump. He frowned. This couldn't be the cause of his migraine, most of the pain was coming from the right side of his head, and the shock had occurred on the other side, on the left. He sighed, lowering his hand to the sink and looking down. What was really weird was that now he felt better when he was seated, and even better when he was standing, while a few hours ago, it was the opposite; he felt much better when he was lying under blankets. He couldn't find the least logic in that. He inhaled and exhaled deeply a few times as he took off his clothes, then went into the shower. As soon as the warm water came on him, he relaxed almost instantly. He closed his eyes and raised his head, almost emitting a long groan as he felt better. He stood there for long minutes, trying to forget all that was going on around him and inside of him. Until an icy hand came to rest on his right shoulder, causing him to jump.

"Damn, Gabby! You scared the hell of me!"

"I've been talking to you for five minutes and you didn't answer Matt!"

"W-what?"

He frowned, looking at her from head to toe. She was trembling like a leaf as she was terrified. For five minutes, she spoke to him from the kitchen, and he had always responded despite the running water, but not this time. And when she came in the bathroom, all she had seen was a statue with his head raised to the sky, hot water dripping on him with his eyes closed. She had called him several times before she decided to put her hand on him.

"Matt, we should go to the hospital. You never had absences with your previous migraines."

"Gabby, I felt good for the first time of the day, relaxed. I just fell asleep while standing."

She also frowned, letting her body tremble freely. She didn't believe him at all.

"I assure you Gabby", he said again when he saw in her eyes that she didn't believe him. "When I'm standing or sitting, I have less headache than when I'm lying down."

She sighed, swallowing her saliva by sorting through this information and her own emotions. Maybe she was worrying too much? Maybe it was indeed just a migraine like others.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello everyone! As promised, here is a new chapter, delicately and lovingly written by me. Ahem, okay, maybe it is too much haha

I still can't tell you what's wrong with Matt, BUT you will have your answers soon enough (don't worry about this).

As chicago lover is proposing, we should kick Matt's ass, right? Of course, he's wrong! Of course Gabby's right! [She has] a reason for everything, remember? He did tell her this at the first episode in season 5 ;)*

AGAIN, _thank you texterlover for our little chat and your cute ideas_ ^^ The breakfast scene in this chapter is based on actual "incidence" haha

But for now, it is time to read this new chapter.

Oh, and you can act like a House MD episode: try to diagnose Casey, it should be fun ^^ And don't forget to give me your diagnosis in a review :D _texterlover, my dear, you're obviously OUT of this diagnosis!_ (don't harass her either, she won't tell you anything)

* * *

 **CHAPTER 3**

After the warm shower they had taken together, they switched to their night clothes and headed for the kitchen so that Matt could eat what Gabby had prepared. She pulled out a large bowl in which she poured the still warm soup and handed it to her beloved, then gave him a spoon. Matt smiled tenderly. A good soup prepared with love by his other half was the greatest of the remedies to get better. However, he took his time, enjoying each sip of this feast. Though, he was not hungry, but having a full stomach made him feel much better.

"You're feeling better?" Gabby asked in a very calm and soft voice.

Thinking about it, when Matt was not thinking about this migraine, it was as if it were fading. His ears rang less, he didn't care about his blurry vision, the hammer didn't hit that hard, everything was much more livable.

"When I do not think about it, it's okay", he admitted, finishing his bowl of soup.

"Maybe when we wake up in a few hours, you'll get much better. Come on, let's go to bed."

"Uh..."

Matt didn't want to contradict her, but he was terribly afraid of lying down now. He was frightened by the pain that this might cause him, becuase it was when he was down that he had the most unbearable headache. But Gabby had not really taken into account what he had said when they were both in the shower.

"I... When I'm lying down, my migraine gets worse", he confessed, looking down.

"Aw."

Gabby thought. Matt needed a lot of rest to recover, but how to sleep properly if he couldn't lie down?

"What if... What if we try to put all our cushions on your back? Maybe your head would be high enough so that you could sleep while not lying? In a half-sitting position, would it be better for you?"

"We can try, yeah."

While Gabby was preparing their bed for Matt's needs, the latter washed the dishes and pu it to drain for the morning. Once done, he walked to the bedroom where a large stack of cushions and pillows and Gabby awaited him. He entered under the blankets, padding himself down with the cushions. He was not sitting completely, he was not lying, his head did not seem to bother him. Maybe it was also the effects of tylenol?

"It's better like that?"

"Much better", he confirmed.

Gabby smiled at him, kissing him one last time before sticking to him as she could. She fell asleep almost immediately, just like Matt. About six hours later, the alarm of Gabby's telephone rang, awakening the two lovers. Matt hardly opened his eyes as Gabby was already changing quickly.

"What's happening?"

She stopped for a moment, approaching him to put her hand on his forehead and her other hand at the level of his wrist. His head was on fire, he felt that his skull was being tightened in a vise as holes were drilled in it, his ears rang even more than the day before. But Gabby didn't detect anything abnormal: Matt had no fever and his pulse was more than normal.

"It's eight o'clock, we have to go pick up Louie at Bonnie's."

He closed his eyes with a sigh, not feeling well enough to stand up and follow Gabby.

"Maybe it would be more prudent if you stay here, I'll pick up Louie."

She kissed him, hurrying to leave while Matt resumed his breathing exercises. The pain had gone up a notch again. He sat down on the edge of the bed, putting his hands on his temples and gritting his teeth. There was a sort of really horrible shriek that resonated in his head and never stopped. He sighed, urgently taking the pills in his hand and swallowed them by drinking the rest of the glass of water he had filled the previous day. He had to help Gabby on that one, even if he was not in shape, he had to be for Louie. So, he got up, putting away the dishes and preparing breakfast in slow motion. What he feared the most was attacking him again: a gigantic wave of nausea came to haunt him, and even swallowing his saliva was not enough to make it go. This brutal stop in the cooking caused the bacon to burn on one side, to Matt's great despair. Gabby was once again going to bother him about his atrocious culinary talent. He continued to take some great inspiration as Gabby came back from the babysitter with Louie. She frowned as soon as she passed the front door, sniffing everywhere.

"What did you burn _this time_?" She asked, smiling as Louie approached Matt to have his morning kiss.

He kissed Louie, pretending to be fine not to worry him and made him sit on one of the stools.

"I had... something else to think about and I slightly burned some of the bacon."

Gabby approached to check by herself, then she began to laugh at the contents of the pan. It was not really bacon, but big black stones.

"Slightly burned, eh? I think you should check your vocabulary, Mr. Casey."

She kissed him on the cheek while laughing. She knew that he was trying to keep his head straight and pretent to be in perfect health for Louie, and that worried her even more not to see him show any pain when he was suffering a lot. But she said nothing, not in front of Louie. She could see in Matt's eyes that he was blaming himself for this, he wanted Gabby to eat as quickly as possible, so Louie could go play in his room or calmly in the living room.

"It's nothing Matt. I'll go buy some this afternoon, don't worry."

She tried to reassure him, even though she felt it was not going to work.

"I take over, go and sit down, babe."

He gave the wooden spatula he had in his hand to Gabby and sat down next to Louie, smiling.

"So you were good with Bonnie?"

"Yeah!" He said with a big smile. "Soweet!"

As Louie couldn't really say _sweet_ , he had found a way to by adding an _o_ in the word.

"What did you do at the daycare?"

"Paint! But... The others said it was ugly", he said, pouting.

"Oh, sweetheart."

It almost broke Matt's heart. Despite his condition, his paternal fiber had come into action. He took the boy on his lap, Gabby looking at the scene with tenderness.

"The drawing you made was just... Different. And you know what's good when it's different?"

To answer, Louie shook his head from side to side shyly, avoiding Matt's gaze.

"When it's different, it's unique. You're unique, just like your drawings."

Louie raised his head, meeting the lovely look that Matt was giving him. He smiled back discreetly before Matt put him down to play. Gabby finished the breakfast, laying the plates in front of her and the freshly orange juice from the fridge.

"It was adorable what you said just now", she said, sitting down beside him.

"I mean it, you know. When someone is different, he is often regarded as a monster. But basically, it's because he doesn't look like the others, so they criticized. I've been there."

"Your parents."

The conversation didn't go further. Gabby knew that it was a sensitive subject, and she had a glimpse of it when she shared the release of Casey's mother from jail. And Matt was not yet ready to really tell the slightest detail of that life he was trying to forget.

"You okay?"

"No", he said honestly. "But I just took the medicines, it should slow down the migraine."

"You'll tell me if it gets worse, won't you?"

"Gabby..."

Seeing the look she gave him, he changed his mind and sighed.

"Yes Gabby, I'll tell you. I promise."

She smiled then, finishing her plate. She was ready to take both plates when Matt stopped her.

"I will do it. Take care of Louie."

"Okay."

She kissed him on his right cheek, then went to the couch to play with the little boy. Matt got up, taking the plates in his hand, but the improbable happened. His head sent him an enormous discharge of electricity which made him let go completely, and he fully realized that when he heard the plates break on the ground. He stood motionless for several seconds, until Gabby came up to him and placed her right hand on his shoulder.

"Matt?"

Matt was really lost, he didn't know what to say, what to do or what to think. How could he have let go of the plates?

"Matt, what happened?"

"I... I had... Dizziness and..."

He lowered his head a little more, closing his eyes and sighing.

"I don't know what happened..."

Faced with this confession, Gabby's anxiety began to grow exponentially. She wanted to be Matt's girlfriend on that one, but her paramedic instinct had taken over. She took his wrist between her fingers, but she found nothing abnormal. He was not feverish, there was nothing.

"Matt, you should go get some rest. Go and lie down."

"Gabby..."

"No worries, I handle it. Go."

He waited until she cleaned the floor from the bits of glass, then went to the bedroom. He slipped into the blankets, sighing deeply. The situation was getting worse and worse, and until then Matt had not really worried. A migraine always had a critical point, and he knew he had not yet reached it. That was what he said to himself. But, passing his fingers over the hump behind his ear, he was no longer sure of it. It was as if a piece of the puzzle was missing. Why there would be a bump on the left side of his head, and his migraine was worst on his right side? It made no sense. He then closed his eyes, concentrating on all the symptoms he had already experienced. Headache, hearing ringing, blurred vision, loss of appetite, nausea. Should he also add that loss of muscle control he had with the plates? Should he also add those moments when he seemed to lose consciousness momentarily? But even if he didn't add these last two, it worried him enough to want to talk to Gabby. Because this time, the drugs were not working. Because this time, it was as painful as before, even worse than that. He could barely endure this pain now.

"Matt?"

He opened his eyes, gently turning his head towards the right, seeing Gabby's silhouette in the darkness approaching him. She sat right next to him, putting her hand on his face tenderly. She was in pain for him, but she wanted him to tell her the truth about what had happened.

"Matt, tell me the truth. Please."

He had no choice, he could no longer hide it now. He closed his eyes, frowning and taking a deep breath.

"It doesn't stop...", he said slowly.

It was as if he was about to cry, and that broke Gabby's heart.

"The migraine?"

He nodded. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out immediately, letting his lips tremble.

"It's just skyrocketing, and... And now it doesn't leave me alone..."

"Did it reach its critical point?"

This time Matt shook his head from side to side.

"No, it... It has only gotten worse since yesterday."

"Matt, we should really go to the hospital", Gabby implored.

She was trully worried about how the situation had deteriorated in one day. He was lying on bed now, totally in the dark and with his eyes closed, but it didn't stop his ears ringing, this didn't prevent himself from feeling his body move without moving an inch, this didn't conter the growing migraine he had. Even the medication were no longer working. Matt also felt that something was wrong, because the only time he had felt such a migraine was when his skull got fractured after receiving a beam at the base of his neck. And it didn't bode well at all. He heard himself sigh, and a second later, Gabby was almost upon him, patting his cheeks. He opened his eyes, crossing her girlfriend's terribly worried look.

"What?"

"Alright, whether you like it or not, you go to the hospital."


	4. Chapter 4

HELLO everyone! Just have the time to update, I slightly got hurt this morning and... Whatever ^^

It's time for you to know what is wrong with Matt ! YES!

I hope you will like ^^

This cute moment before Dawsey goes to hospital, it's an idea from texterlover (I told you: any cute moment, it's her idea :D)

Hope I will have plenty of reviews to read !

* * *

 **CHAPTER 4**

"I'd rather you tell me ''see, I told you!'' than do nothing and..."

"Oah, oah, calm down!" he forced a scream, interrupting her. "I just dozed, Gabby."

"Dozed or not, we go to hospital. Come on, up."

Gabby was sctrict, and Matt knew that he had no chance to change her mind and fight. Even if he also wanted to be sure that everything was fine. He had noticed that something was wrong.

"Okay. Give me five minutes to get up, and... And we go, okay?"

She nodded slowly, sighing. It took Matt more time than usual to get up because of dizziness and nausea.

"I call Kelly, see if he can come by and babysit Louie."

She got out of the bedroom with her phone in hand, dialing Kelly because putting it to her ear. One last time, he closed his eyes before opening them again and sit down with difficulty on the edge of the bed. He swallowed hard, then bustled to put on his shoes and a sweater. After three minutes, Gabby reappeared on the doorstep of the room, smiling slightly as she saw that Matt was actually getting ready.

"Kelly arrives in a few minutes."

"Okay, uh... Can I... Can I have some water, please?"

"Still nauseous?"

He couldn"t help but to answer with a slight nod, too sick to speak for the moment.

"I'll be right back."

Gabby came out and walked to the kitchen at a rapid pace. She pulled out a large glass from one of the cupboards, filled it with lukewarm water and went back to the bedroom. From the living room, Louie watched her come and go without understanding what was happening. He was playing with the fire truck offered by Kelly, one of his favorite toys, but his growing curiosity led him to see what was important for Gabby to be so speedy. He then left his truck, rising and pulling up his pants, then walked to the door of his new parents' room. He watched the scene without saying a word, watching Matt gently drink the glass Gabby had just filled as she gently stroked his back to calm his nausea.

"Boo boo?"

Surprised, the couple jumped slightly and both raised their heads at the same time to meet Louie's gaze. Both saw the glimmer of concern that he kept a moment at the beginning of their life of three, the glow that had faded with time and patience.

"Hey."

Matt made a great effort to stretch out his arms and smile as not to frighten the boy. He advanced towards him, realizing that with this gesture from his new dad, he could approach. He took him in his arms, seating him on his left thigh and passing his arm in his back to hold his hand tenderly under Gabby's look.

"I am a bit sick, and... I have to go see a doctor to get better", he tried to reassure Louie.

"Wanna boo boo kiss?" the little boy added shyly, making the two lovers smile.

To please Louie, he held out his cheek to him so he could kiss him, and when he did, he smiled again.

"I think I feel much better now! But to be sure, I'll go see a doctor, okay?"

"Otay."

"Uncle Kelly will come and play with you the time Gabby and I go see if your boo boo kiss actually cured me."

When he had finished his sentence, they heard someone knock at the door and enter the apartment.

"Knock knock?"

"Hey, Louie, you hear this?" Gabby whispered not to be heard by Kelly. "You go see who it is for us?"

The three-year-old boy nodded, and as soon as Matt put him on the ground, he ran out of the room.

"Hey, champion!" they heard Kelly scream in joy.

Soon after, they appeared together at the door. Kelly had taken Louie on his lap, and he had clung to him, putting his head in the crook of his neck.

"So, what's going on? You've been pretty inaccurate and worried over the phone."

"Mister Casey forgot to tell me that he had banged his head during the call yesterday, and... He is in this state ever since, and it's getting worse."

"Wait a minute... Blinds closed and Gabby's visits in your office repeatedly?"

"Sorry."

Kelly was about to say something, or rather scream on Matt, but he knew it wasn't the good time. Louie was with them in the room, in his arms moreover, and the lovers were ready to go.

"You go see a doctor?"

"Yes, Chicago MED. I prefer to make sure that there is nothing serious, rather than... Well, you know what I mean."

"Yeah. Come on, go. I take care of Louie."

He turned his head towards the little man and smiled at him.

"We're going to cook for tonight, all right?"

"Otay."

Louie always wanted to cook since Otis had taken him with him to the kitchen of the firehouse during his first days with Gabby and Matt. Even setling the table, or preparing the cutlery, he loved it. Of course, they didn't give him much to do, he was only three years old, but it pleased him to help them in this task. He put Louie on the floor, running after him into the kitchen, making him laugh to make him forget that Matt and Gabby were about to leave.

"You're ready, Matt?"

"Yeah."

Both took advantage of the distraction Kelly could offer to get out of the apartment without any concern and went to the hospital together. They came to the reception, to Maggie because she was in charge of the dispatch of the patients.

"What a surprise! A paramedic coming here is every day, but a fireman! Our alderman!" Maggie joked, clearly unaware of the situation.

"Actually... We're coming for Matt. He, uh... He banged his head yesterday, and since then he's really not well. It's better to be too careful, isn't it?"

"Indeed," said the nurse, frowning.

Matt really seemed not well. He was pale, he didn't seem steady on his feet, and appeared to be lost.

"I'll call Will. Room 2 is free", she told the couple.

Gabby smiled, and then took Matt into the room mentioned by Maggie as she paged Dr. Halstead. He lay down on the bed, Gabby straightening the backrest so that he was in a half-sitting position. After a few minutes of waiting, the doctor arrived.

"Hello you two! So, Maggie told me you banged your head yesterday?"

"Yeah."

"Can you tell me what exactly happened?"

"Uh... A fire, I was with the father and... He panicked. I hit my head on the wall, but... It was not violent, I didn't lose consciousness", he explained quickly as Will checked his pupils.

"You know, lieutenant, you can have a concussion without losing consciousness. Can you follow my finger?"

He did as asked by the physicien, frowning because of the nausea hiting him again.

"We want to be sure nothing's wrong, what's why we're here", Gabby added, worried when she saw Matt's frowning. "As his skull is already weakened..."

"Already weakened?" Will interrupted her, staring at her with concern.

"Yes, uh... Three years ago, a beam fell on him, and... He had a fractured skull and an epidural hematoma."

Will didn't show it, but he was deeply worried about what Gabby was telling him about Matt's previous head injury. An already wekanened skull could announce more than a concussion.

"Would you describe all the symptoms you have? Anything out of the ordinary?"

"Uh... Dizziness, headaches, nausea, loss of appetite, hearing ringing, sometimes a blurred vision."

"Anything else?"

This time, Gabby spoke in Matt's place. She knew perfectly well that he was going to say no, that it was all he could remember, but that was not the case.

"This morning he dropped the plates, and he was confused. He said that it was nothing, that it could happen, but it had never happened before. And just now, it was like... Like he wasn't there for a few seconds."

"Okay. I'm going to order a CT-scan, just in case because of your previous brain injury, but I think you have moderate concussion. As I said, I prefer to check with a CT. I'll be right back."

As Dr. Halstead left the room, Gabby turned back to Matt, stroking his hand.

"You need another glass of water?"

"Uh, it would be nice to have a bottle here, indeed. If I still have nausea..."

"I'll get you one."

She smiled at him, leaving to go and ask Maggie for a bottle of water from the doctors' rest room instead of buying one from the dispenser. Will was not far from her, calling radiology for Matt's scan.

"Doc? Can I ask you a question?"

"Go for it."

"If you order a CT, is it really to be sure of your diagnosis or because you feel that there is more than a concussion?"

Gabby had just hit a nerve. He opened his mouth, as if to announce something, but no sound, no word came out. She immediately noticed that she had just hit the nail.

"Doc? Be honest with me."

"I'll be honest with you in this case", he said before taking a deep breath. "Since Matt has already had a major brain injury, I have no right to rule out all options. With this scan, this will allow me to choose one of these options."

"The options being the possibilities of cases."

"That's it."

"So... What would be the worst case? Another epidural hematoma?"

""No, certainly not. An epidural hematoma spreads quickly, in a few minutes. It's nearly been a day for Matt. No, in the worst case, he might have a subdural hematoma. The scan will confirm the diagnosis, okay? Until then, try to calm down and calm Matt. The more calm he will be, the easier it will be to take care of, understood?"

She couldn't help but nod, leaving Will go for a new case until radiology could take Matt while a nurse brought her a bottle of water for her boyfriend. She came back into the room, placing the bottle of water near Matt and patted his cheeks slightly because he was half asleep. He hardly opened his eyes, fatigue was too much for him now.

"I know you're tired, Matt. But try not to fall asleep before you have the final diagnosis, okay?"

"Mh. Will do my best."

About ten minutes later, Will came back to take Matt up to radiology. Since it was a simple scan with no contrast injection, the procedure took only a few minutes, instead of the usual ten to thirty minutes. Quickly back down, Gabby greeted him again in room 2, for a little privacy. After twenty minutes, a doctor came in and close the curtains, turning toward the couple.

"Hello Mr. Casey, I'm Doctor Abrams, I am a neurosurgeon."

Facing Gabby and Matt's growing concern at the evocation of this information, the surgeon tried to reassure them.

"Don't worry, this is the procedure when there's a brain scan."

He then took a stool to sit next to Matt. The two lovers were waiting for answers.

"I had your medical record from Lakeshore, which allows me to learn more about your injury. You've already had an epidural hematoma and a fractured skull, and two months later, you cracked your skull again?"

"Doc had explained to me that the slightest shock could be... Fatal now."

Gabby's eyes widened and got on Matt before she knocked his arm.

"You didn't tell me that!"

"I did tell you. After your first exam to become a firefighter."

"No, Matt. You just explained that you bled from your ears and that your doctor said that you still could work!"

"Which is the case, otherwise I wouldn't have come back to work, don't you think?"

"But you hid the truth from me Matt!"

Gabby yelled at him, she didn't care whether he had a headache or not, totally not knowing whether there were heard or not.

"I have already told you, what we have is everything! Work is not more important than both of us!"

"But it is for me, Gabby!"

She was about to answer, but his answer had completely stopped her. She didn't expect him to answer that.

"Being a firefighter was a way for me to escape my life. And if I do not have that anymore... What will I have?"

It broke his heart to finally confess it to Gabby. At the very beginning, being a firefighter had allowed his to draw a line on his old life, in which his mother had just killed his father in cold blood, where his sister calmly explained to him that she couldn't provide for her needs, that he had to find a solution to get by. Stopping his job as a firefighter was for him like returning to this life that he didn't want, as if without it, he couldn't handle life. The surgeon began to cough voluntarily in order to bring them back to reason, who turned at the same time towards him.

"Sorry doc."

"So, as I was about to tell you, your skull being already weakened, the shock that you had in the head yesterday is enough to alert us. You see that white spot on the right, right here?"

He then showed the results, taking out a pen from his pocket and showing the area he was talking to both Gabby and Matt.

"What is it?"

"It's blood. You have a chronic subdural hematoma."


	5. Chapter 5

Hello!

I guess you enjoyed the previous chapter, so, it's time for another one ^^

Keep up the reviews guys and girls :D

* * *

 **CHAPTER 5**

"C-chronic? Like... Something that lasts a long time?"

"In the case of a hematoma, no. We say chronic because it takes time to spread and develop all the symptoms."

"And, uh... it's ... Bad? I mean... Like an epidural hematoma?"

"Well, an epidural hematoma occurs when the cerebral arteries are affected, and as a result, the symptoms and the hematoma appear very soon after the shock. For a subdural hematoma, it is the small vessels which are altered, and the bleeding is very slow. In general, the blood coagulates and the bleeding stops by itself."

"So, it's all okay?"

"No, it's the opposite."

This froze Matt's blood. He didn't understand everything, but in view of Gabby's look at the doctor, it seemed to be very worrying. Instinctively, seeking her comfort, he took her hand and squeezed it, which she also did in return without looking away.

"I'd like to at least keep you over night and tomorrow up in my department, to keep an eye on the evolution of the bleeding."

The sanction had just fallen like heaven on their heads. It was this serious, he had to stay.

"I will put you under intravenous corticosteroids and diuretics to reduce the pressure on your brain caused by the current bleeding."

Matt put his head on the back of the bed, closing his eyes and sighing. It was just a simple blow to the head, as common as he had ever had before, but it took proportions that now exceeded him. Moreover, when he had had his epidural hematoma three years ago, he had already been under diuretics and corticosteroids. At least, the chance he had, if he could call it chance, was that he knew what to expect.

"From what I can read on your file, you have already had this treatment before, during your previous hematoma."

"Yes, I remember. They had to put me on a ..."

Matt perfectly remembered the medical terms to use, but he was ashamed of that. It was not a time he had particularly enjoyed.

"A catheter? That is quite logical to say the truth. This also makes us easier to take samples to see if the patient is dehydrated or if we cause any ionic and/or acid-base imbalance in the body because of these famous diuretics."

"It was... Quite unpleasant."

"Logical as well."

Matt smiled, almost forgetting his last question.

"And, uh... Tomorrow, if the hematoma is... I mean, if it's still there?"

"The size of the hematoma is not alarming at the moment, but according to your worsening symptoms, there is still a bleeding. By tomorrow, it shouldn't grow, but as I told you, I prefer to keep an eye on it."

"What if the bleeding is becoming larger?"

"In this case, it will be more delicate. Blood can not be self-controlled."

Matt tightened Gabby's hand a little more. He bit his bottom lip, he was on the verge of tears, but he held them back.

"Which means?"

"Which means that I will have no other choice but to operate, but we are not there for the moment, no worries yet."

"And... How long before I can go back to work?"

"If the bleeding stops all by itself, the time for you to rest a lot, I would say ten days."

"What if he doesn't stop by itself?"

"It will take much longer."

"How long?"

"Well... How long did you take when you had your epidural hematoma?"

"I came back after six weeks."

"Okay. Since you have already suffered a major head trauma, I will give you at least ten weeks of rest. IF I have to operate."

This was almost the last straw for Matt. Ten weeks without work if the bleeding got worse. Deep down, he prayed that it would not happen, even if it meant that for ten weeks, he was going to be with Louie at home, spending time between men. Matt nodded slightly, reassured by the presence of Gabby at his side.

"Come with me, I'll take you to a room and a nurse will come and setle you properly."

Matt got up, waiting a little for nausea and dizziness to pass before he started walking.

"You still have these nausea?"

"Since yesterday, yes. It doesn't really calm down."

"In this case, you will be given an intravenous antiemetic. Low-dose metoclopramide should do the trick."

The couple said nothing, accompanying the neurosurgeon to his department to be setled in a room.

"Michelle? Any free room?"

"Let me see... Yes, 314."

"Thank you."

The doctor turned to Matt and Gabby, a barely perceptible smile on his face.

"It's a great single room. You should have... More privacy."

Once in the room, Matt was forced to change to a hospital gown, he hated it, but he had no choice. That was the standard procedure. He landed on the bed, while Gabby straightened the backrest, so that Matt was in a half-sitting position, this famous position that seemed to calm his huge migraine. She then put the blankets on him, and she sat down on the chair next to the bed and took his hand to stroke it. A nurse, the same one who was in the office a few minutes ago, entered the room, smiling.

"Hello Mr. Casey! I guess you know why I'm here?"

"Unfortunately."

Surprised, and slightly shocked, she tilted her head back, making Gabby laugh.

"What Matt is trying to say is that he knows what awaits him and that he is apprehensive about this situation."

"Aw. You..."

"Epidural hematoma, yes. But a... Sub-dural hematoma, right?"

The nurse nodded, but let him continue.

"That's a first for me."

"Did Dr. Abrams tell you the difference?"

"Yes. Something about... The size of blood vessels?"

"He did not tell you everything apparently! Okay, I'll explain. An epidural hematoma occurs between the dura mater and the skull, and the bleeding occasionally comes almost exclusively from the arteries, which explains its sudden occurrence. A subdural hematoma is a slow bleeding of the damaged blood vessels between the dura mater and the arachnoid, two meningeal layers. That's why you feel like your head will explode into a thousand pieces."

"If I understand correctly... Subdural hematoma is... Deeper?"

"Indeed. It's a layer below. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask, okay? I will start to hook you up to this."

The nurse then prepared her tray under the eyes of the couple. Matt tightened Gabby's hand even more. He was worried by what he was seeing.

"Uh... You need all this for..."

He didn't finish the sentence. He had the words in mind, but they didn't go out. Michelle then approached him, coming to his right and smiling again.

"So, I will explain what I'm going to do. I'm going to hook you up to a multi-lumen IV, which will allow me to put you under prednisolone, which is the corticosteroid, under furosemide, the diuretic, but also saline, to keep you hydrated. Because of the treatment, you have to be monitored, meaning that we will monitor your vitals, including your heart rate and your blood pressure. I will also push a dose of metoclopramide for your nausea into your system."

Matt could not hide his anxiety. As he had already gone through this, it worried him even more. The nurse pierced his arm without feeling a pinch, she secured this IV with two special dressings, then prepared the bags by hanging them on the pole. She then attached them to the intravenous mechanism and adjusted the doses prescribed by the neurosurgeon. She then gently placed the three electrodes on Matt's torso, hooked the wires on the monitor before turning on the device. And after that, she placed the oxymeter on his right index finger.

"I'll set it so that it only rings when there would be abnormalites, okay? In that way, you can rest without being bothered by the monitor", she explained with a new smile on her face.

She then tightened the BP cuff on Matt's right arm, measuring for the first his blood pressure by looking at the screen.

"Your blood pressure is a little high, but everything is fine other than that. It makes perfect sense."

"How does it make perfect sense?" Matt asked delicately, because it was not logical for him.

"Your blood pressure is a bit high because of the pressure the hematoma is exercing on your brain. Plus, if you have migraine, it's even worse. Do you feel strong enough to go to the bathroom without assistance? Because diuretics will make you urinate a lot and often."

"Uh... I'd like to say yes. B-but..."

He avoided the nurse's gaze, turning his gaze towards Gabby, seeking her comfort.

"It would be a lie", she finished his sentence when she saw that Matt was embarrassed. "I'll be right back."

Michelle came out of the room and returned a few minutes later with a kit to setle a catheter.

"I assume you know how it works?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

This time, the nurse was not surprised. However, she laugh discreetly.

"I understand, I don't think I know a patient who loves it when you put a Foley catheter on him."

"Psycho maybe?"

"Mh... Even psychos are not so... Prone to have one stuck in their urethra."

She pulled out the blankets, and Matt put him head on the pillows and squeezed Gabby's hand. She turned her head towards him, smiling as if to tell him everything was going to be fine.

"Are you all right, Mr. Casey?"

"Matt... No Mr. please."

"All right, Matt. Are you all right?"

"It's just... I've never been hooked to one while I was awake", he admitted.

"Oh, I see. When I will begin to insert the catheter, you will feel a slight discomfort, but it shouldn't hurt, don't worry."

"Okay", he whispered.

"You'll take a deep breath for me, and I'll start."

As requested, Matt took a deep breath, then as explained by the nurse, he felt this horrible discomfort. It was absolutely not pleasant. He said nothing, he tried not to strain as the nurse put the whole device in place, closing his eyes as Gabby stroked his hand.

"You can breathe now, Matt."

He didn't wait the end of the sentence. He exhaled deeply, before laughing.

"This is torture."

This made the two women laugh. It wasn't as a mockery, quite the contrary. It was because he was telling the truth.

"Now try to rest, okay? I'll close the curtains so you can sleep a bit."

Once done, the nurse took thetray she had brought with her and she left the room, leaving Gabby alone with Matt.

"You should call Kelly."

"You're right, I'll call him."

She kissed him tenderly, placing her hand on the right side of his face.

"Do the drugs work?"

"I think so. I think... The migraine is slowly going away. I have less trouble than a while ago anyway."

"This is a good thing. Now, you close your eyes and you rest, I'll call Kelly."

She kissed him one last time before going out of the room. She went downstairs to take a little fresh air and dialed Kelly's number.

" _Hey! So how's it going? Any news?_ "

"Um yes. Uh... Could you babysit Louie a little longer?"

" _Gabby, what's going on?_ "

"Uh... Matt has a subdural hematoma. Doctors want to keep him until at least tomorrow to monitor the bleeding."

" _Oh damn... And, uh... It's... I mean..._ "

Gabby felt Kelly's confusion and anxiety, which was understandable.

"It's less... Serious, sort of, than an epidural hematoma. It takes longer to develop, and in general, the bleeding stops on its own. That's why he will stay until tomorrow."

" _Okay. And... Will he be up for the next shift?_ "

"I will call Boden to explain the situation. He will be of shift for at least ten days."

" _Okay. You call me if there is a change okay? Or you text me._ "

"I will, I promise. Oh, and... Big kiss for Louie from us."

" _No problem._ "

Gabby hung up, calling Boden.

" _This is Wallace Boden._ "

"Hello chief, it's Gabby."

" _Dawson. How's Casey?_ "

"Uh, well... His migraine only got worse, so... We went to the hospital to see if there was anything serious, and..."

" _And it's serious I suppose._ "

"He didn't tell you that he banged his head in the fire yesterday morning."

" _Uh, no. Wait, are you telling me that his injury has come back?_ "

Gabby knew he was referring to what had happened a few years ago, and she shook her head as if her chief could see her.

"No, no. He has a subdural hematoma. The bleeding stops on its own in normal times, so he is monitored overnight. And if it will indeed stop, he will be at rest for about ten days."

" _And if not?_ "

"We're not there yet. No offense chief."

" _Alright. Herrmann will cover him for the next shifts. But I must know if it is only for some couple shifts or if I have to foresee a replacement lieutenant._ "

"I understand, chief. I keep you informed of the situation."

She was ready to hang up, but she held herself almost immediately.

"Oh, uh, chief? Do not tell the others, please. They'll want to come and see Matt, and he needs a lot of rest."

" _I can understand that. I won't tell them anything, I promise. Say hello from us to Matt._ "

"I will."

She hung up, sighed and sat down on the bench right next to her. She was right since the beginning. She blamed herself for this situation, because she knew inwardly that she was right. It was more than a migraine, she felt it. But Matt had managed to convince her that it was just a migraine stronger than the previous ones. How could she have been so stupid? She should have told Matt to go to the hospital earlier. Perhaps it wouldn't have done this far?


	6. Chapter 6

HELLO HELLO HELLO!

What a surprise to see the amount of reviews ^^ Never seen this on my stories so far :D

So, I got a review from a guest, who told me that "a subdural hematoma would kill you in seconds and if you survive one there is no chance for you to live your life like you used to". To anwser, because it's a fair observation, here is the explanation:

There are two main types of subdural hematomas:

-Acute subdural hematoma, occurring immediately after trauma by rupture of main veins OR arteries.

-Chronic subdural hematoma, appearing predominantly in infants, young children or the elderly. It is usually formed over several days, several weeks, even months, because of a minimal trauma, sometimes unnoticed, and thus, because of a tear of one or several small veins.

Remember episode 20 of season 2? Imogene (the new pediatrician's sister) had a chronic subdural hematoma, and it took hours to really occur (the occurence time depends on the strength of the shock).

I hope I explained it clearly, because I am not sure at all. It took a lot of time and research to finally write this story, and I checked everything, in French AND in English ^^

I hope you still like this story and you are ready to read another chapter :D Another cute moment is waiting for you at the end of it (thnak you again texterlover for this idea :D)

AND THANK YOU ALL FOR THE REVIEWS BY THE WAY ^_^

* * *

 **CHAPTER 6**

The time for Gabby to regain her spirits properly, to savor the fresh air, it took twenty long minutes. When she began to get cold, she decided to go inside the hospital, rubbing her hands together. To warm herself properly, she took the stairs, climbing two steps by two steps until she reached the third floor. She turned to the right, following the panels indicating the Department of Neurology, then passed in front of the nurses' office. Michelle was still stationed there and interrupted her before she could continue on her way.

"I went into Matt's room. While you were not there. First samples. I just wanted to warn you that he is sleeping like a baby."

"A-already? In normal times, it takes more time for him to fall asleep."

Gabby was surprised, and she could be: generally, it took at least twice the time for Matt to fall asleep. The nurse smiled at her then, accustomed to face this surprise coming from the relatives of the patients.

"The medications that are given to him also have a relaxing effect on the body. That's why he fell asleep so fast."

"Okay, uh... Thank you."

Gabby smiled, taking the direction of room 314. She took a deep breath, and gently opened the door. Even if she had just seen Matt get setled in this room, it still hurt her to see him in a hospital bed. The last time, he almost didn't make it, and she couldn't detach herself from the horrible moment she had lived. At that time, Matt and her hadn't yet announced their relationship, and it had been very hard to hide from the others what she felt. But today, it was like a liberation, as if she could expose her emotions to the eyes of all. As she gently approached the bed to sit on the plastic chair, her heart gradually tightened, she tried to control her breathing, she tried not to shed tears, but she couldn't. How could she have waited so long before being concerned about Matt's health? How could she have thought it was a headache like any other? She passed her fingers under her eyes, licking her little tears and sat down next to Matt. He was indeed peacefully asleep, warm under the blankets. She watched his chest rise gently, then fall at a slow but steady pace, a sign that he was sleeping deeply. His mouth was slightly ajar so that he could breathe properly, and she couldn't help but to smile at that. She then looked at the monitor, watching each curve evolve at their own pace. His heart rate was stable and normal, his blood pressure was slightly elevated, but as the nurse had said, there was nothing to worry about, his oxygen saturation was close to 100%. Which was necessarily a good thing. Without any sound, she gave a sigh of relief. Her beloved was fine, everything was going well. She turned her head to the left, stopping her gaze at the foot of the bed and more precisely on the small pocket which was regularly filled with yellowish liquid. Normally, she could have been disgusted by this vision, but seeing that reassured her about the health of her soulmate. She looked back at Matt's face, drawing every curve of it as if she was discovering it for the first time. How to get tired of it when you are deeply in love? She smiled again stupidly, without any justification. Just because she liked to watch her man sleeping. When she couldn't sleep, she would turn on the nightlight and watch Matt sleep, watch his chest gently rise and fall at the same pace. It was her cute sin. This relaxed her to the point of falling asleep, leaving the night-light on. She never told him that, it was something she kept for herself. Without really realizing it, even here, in this hospital room, it calmed her, and gradually she fell asleep. She closed her eyes, letting herself being caught by the fatigue that had accumulated since the arrival of Louie in her life. But he was so adorable, she didn't care. What she had done for this little boy was worth it. The emptiness left by the loss of her bay had in some ways been replaced by Louie, and she felt happy again, as though invigorated. As she slept deeply, she felt a movement near her. She didn't know how long she had just slept, but she opened her eyes gently, confused. As she had turned into the uncomfortable chair, she straightened up by cracking her neck. There was a nurse in the room, one she didn't recognize, and the latter turned to Gabby, smiling.

"There's a problem?" She asked, visibly still asleep.

"I came to check if everything was okay, and to take samples."

"A nurse has already took some about... An hour and a half ago", Gabby explained, looking at her watch.

She frowned. She had really slept more than an hour in that position?

"Precisely, the samples are taken every hour or so. The treatment shouldn't turn against him, huh?"

Gabby then remembered the explanations of Dr. Abrams and Michelle, the head nurse of the department. Treatment could disrupt a lot of things, including potassium or sodium. She nodded slightly, letting the nurse make the samples she was talking about and turning her attention to Matt. When a new needle pierced his flesh to enter one of his veins, he frowned, slightly grunting as he turned his head. He also opened his eyes, crossing Gabby's eyes and her smile.

"Hey you", he said groggily.

"Hey, you better?"

Matt took a deep breath, trying to move as little as possible so that the nurse, whom he still hadn't noticed, had no problem with the samples.

"It's... Weird", Matt confessed, closing his eyes again.

In fact, his migraine was still here, almost as strong as before, but it was as if he didn't hurt despite it. He didn't understand.

"What's weird, Matt?"

"It's like... I mean... Migraine is still there, still strong, but... I feel almost nothing."

The nurse finished the blood samples, and concentrated on the monitor.

"Dr. Abrams surely explained it to you, but the drugs given to you don't stop the bleeding, they are here to give the bleeding the place to grow without causing brain damage. It's the pressure that gives you these pains, and it's the bleeding that gives you migraine. The bleeding is still there, but the pressure is less."

"So it's... Normal?"

"Absolutely. Within a few hours, Dr. Abrams will order a new CT, to see the evolution of the bleeding. We will see how the situation has evolved, and act accordingly, but by then, you must rest a lot."

She flashed a new smile before noticing her blood pressure, heart rate, saturation, and then taking Matt's body temperature.

" So?"

Gabby knew that nurses and doctors were trained not to alarm the relatives of the patients, which she hated because she preferred to deal with situations. When she realized that the nurse was not going to give her concrete answers, she folded her arms.

"I'm a paramedic, so I can read his chart. Tell me if my husband is good or not."

Matt swung his head back slightly, surprised by Gabby's reaction. Her husband? But he said nothing, as if he found it normal.

"Fair enough. His blood pressure and body temperature have slightly increased, indicating that he still bleeds despite the treatment. So, I'm going to tell Dr. Abrams to come earlier for the CT. When the analyzes are completed, we will compare them with those done earlier to detect any abnormality caused by the treatment. As I said, you have to rest, and let the treatment act and cure you."

The nurseput back the chart at the edge of the bed, then took the samples and left the room. Gabby sighed in frustration as Matt took her hand again.

"She's doing her job, Gabby."

"I know. But... I don't want people to lie to me, that's all."

"And... She lied?"

Gabby stood up, taking the file in her hand and reading it.

"Apparently not, but she wrote down to monitor closely your blood pressure."

Matt didn't say anything, he knew and could feel that Gabby was very worried, and he didn't blame her. In fact, she was much more worried than he was.

"By the way, you didn't tell me that you were married..."

They both laughed, Gabby quickly catching Matt's hand to stroke it.

"I wanted to invite you, but... You were not free, so..."

He smiled. Her husband. It sounded good though. He wanted so much to call her his wife, but after two fierce demands, he didn't want a third ont that would end badly. He wanted to be perfectly sure of himself on that one, and they both had so much to think about and do, so for now, he had put that possibility aside. They weren't ready yet.

"I think... I'll close my eyes and try to go back to sleep."

"Don't force yourself to be awake, Matt. Rest as much as possible to get better", she reassured him.

"You better come back home for tonight. Louie is going to be over the edge otherwise."

"Matt, you told me a few days ago that you loved me and that you weren't going anywhere. Now it's up to me to tell you this. I love you, and I am not going anywhere."

This warmed his heart and raised his spirits slightly, but what worried him most was that Louie would probably lead a hard life to Kelly.

"If that can reassure you, I can call Kelly?"

"I think... That would be a good idea", Matt admitted.

She smiled at him, taking out her phone and dialing the penultimate number, Kelly's number, who answered after thirty seconds.

"T _his is Kelly Severide._ "

She then turned on the speaker so that Matt could hear the conversation.

"It's Gabby."

" _Gabby! So, any good news?_ "

"Well, apparently the bleeding is still here, but otherwise, all good. What about you? You okay with Louie?"

" _Uh... Let's say that he's pretty rough. He must feel that there is something wrong._ "

"Call him for us, please?" Matt asked.

He and Gabby heard a laugh from the other end of the phone

" _You're not dead yet?_ "

"It takes more time to get me! Come on, call Louie."

" _Louie! It's Gabby and Matt on the phone!_ "

The little boy who was playing in his room rushed into the living room and climbed onto the couch, then Kelly put the speaker on for Louie as well.

"Hey Louie! Are you wise with Uncle Kelly?"

" _Miss you._ "

"I know sweetheart, but we do as fast as we can to come back home, okay? But in the meantime, you're wise with Kelly."

" _Otay. Come back soon?_ "

"Very soon", Matt assured, smiling.

" _My boo boo kiss?_ "

"Well... They helped me a lot, you know? But right now, I need something much stronger to get better."

" _Many boo boo kiss?_ "

The three adults smiled because of so much innocence from Louie. He was really too cute.

"That's it. Many boo boo kiss."

" _Wait._ "

Louie put his hand on his lips, making a strange noise on the phone when he moved this same hand. And he did it, again and again. Kelly smiled again, watching this little man with admiration.

" _He sends you big boo boo kisses, Matt._ "

"Thank you Louie, you're really sweet."

" _I know_ ", he said innocently.

"You're wise with Uncle Kelly, okay? We're coming back soon."

" _Okay, bye!_ " He said, shaking his hand, as if Matt and Gabby could see him.

Kelly hung up, letting the two lovers reassure themselves about this concern Louie had developed when it had been a long time since he had seen them.

"Are you reassured now, babe?"

"For now yes. I think those tons of kisses just received helped me a lot..."

"Come on, get some rest now", she ordered, smiling.

She was missing Louie, it was true. And Matt as well, as if a piece of the puzzle was missing, as if his absence left a void in them that no one could fill, but him. But having this conversation with him was what they needed at the time. That was what helped them to get better. Matt then closed his eyes again, sinking into this sleep that seemed to help him so much.


	7. Chapter 7

HELLO EVERYONE!

As promised, here is a new chapter to read^^ I am trying to update every day (meaning I am trying to write every day as well), but it's getting hard with my classes (I had to write this one during my boring English class, how bad!). SO, if one day, I can't update because of my full schedule, please don't blame me :D

I hope you will like this chapter after all (I will leave an A/N at the end of it) and I would like to read your reviews ^^ tell me what you think

* * *

 **CHAPTER 7**

Matt was very grumpy when he was awakened, but even more so when he was awakened to be forced to eat while he was not hungry. Gabby had tried unsuccessfully to warn the nurse that it wasn't going to please him at all, but she had replied that she was only doing her job and that he had to eat, especially with the treatment he was taking. And just to show his displeasure, Matt had decided not to eat. And he was not hungry at all. Gabby hadn't insisted, she knew that this time, she was going to lose. To tell the truth, she was always worried about his health, and she watched him closely to see the slightest change. A few minutes ago, she saw that something was wrong, but being already very grumpy, she did not want to poison things. Indeed, since he had been awakened, he was frowning, and he was wrapped in blankets when he was always warm. He seemed groggy, distant.

"Matt, if you don't feel well, then sleep", she said, taking the opportunity to pass her hand tenderly on his left cheek.

But she also frowned when her skin touched his. Urgently, she passed her hand over his forehead, Matt tried to struggle, in vain. The treatment had weakened him in a few hours.

"You have a fever, Matt. I call the nurse."

Before he could even say a word, she pressed the nurse button, and after four long minutes while Gabby strove to keep Matt awake, the same nurse came back.

"He's feverish", she explained, saying nothing else.

The nurse walked past Matt, checking his vitals and temperature.

"His body is reacting to prednisolone. It is quite normal to develop a slight fever during treatment."

"So, it's all right."

"Until now, everything is perfectly fine."

The nurse smiled again, writing on the cart at the edge of Matt's bed before starting to leave the room again.

'You should eat, even a little. This should decrease the fever and help your body to work properly. You shouldn't count on the nutrients given."

She closed the door behind her, and Gabby turned again to Matt.

"You know, she's not wrong? Regaining strength should help you the least."

Matt glared at her. It was not a hatred look, on the contrary, it was more a kind of annoyance than anything else.

"I. Am. Not. Hungry", he explained again, stopping after each word.

He stretched out again, lifting the blankets a little more so that they came up to his neck, shivering even more.

"It's the fever that makes you shiver", Gabby tried to reassure him. "Let the medicines act and get back to sleep, it should help you."

"I only do this. Sleeping…"

Before he finished his sentence, he sank back into his dream world, and Gabby followed him shortly afterwards. But when she woke up about an hour later, even before she opened her eyes, she realized something was really wrong. She heard a very rapid whirring sound, and she opened her eyes abruptly and blocked them on Matt. Even though he was still asleep, he was frowning, moving slightly in that hospital bed in which he was blocked, his breathing was much faster than an hour before, superficial. Big drops of sweat came to roll down his face in which the artificial light of the ceiling was reflected.

"Matt? Matt?"

She forced herself to wake him up in this situation, although she knew it wasn't going to please him at all. But she had no other options. She put her hand on his arm, sweat coming to flood his palm as she shook it.

"Matt!"

The latter gave a long grunt, waking up gently. When he returned to the slightest degree of sleep, the pain struck him in full force. It was indescribable, immeasurable, monumental, pharaonic. There were not really any adjectives to describe the pain that was besetting. It was as if someone was having fun piercing his skull with a jackhammer repeatedly. And it wasn't just the sensation that went with it, there was also the strident sound that flooded his head, as if the migraine that seemed to have left his mind suddenly came back to haunt him more than before, even stronger and more powerful. Without even thinking, without anything, he put his hands in urgency on his temples and shouted with all his strength. This pain was inhuman, unbearable, even for him. The monitor took the opportunity to add a layer, starting to ring without ever stopping. And before Gabby really understood what was going on, two nurses had just entered the room to rush to Matt with one of the interns in neurology.

"Sir, can you hear me? Sir!"

"STOP IT!"

"Tell us what sir!"

"THE PAIN! STOP THIS FREAKING PAIN!"

Matt was crazy, shouting without having time to resume his breathing. His cry was a mixture of pain and despair. And to make him scream, the pain was well beyond 10 in the scale of 1 to 10.

"5 of morphine, now!" The intern ordered. "And page Dr. Abrams!"

One of the nurses came out of the room to find a trolley, looking in each drawer to find a dose of morphine, but she couldn't find one. She ran into the nurses' office, where there was a second cart and found one in the last drawer. She took the syringe she had caught in the first one, planting the needle in the bottle to collect five milligrams, as requested by the intern. She made her way in the opposite direction, running as fast as possible with the cries of Matt because of the continuous pain, inserting the needle as she could into the IV port of saline before emptying the contents inside. It took nearly ten seconds for Matt to actually calm down and stop shouting. The nurse gave a sigh of relief, taking her pager in hand to call Dr. Abrams urgently.

"What the hell was that?!" Gabby snapped.

She knew the intern had nothing to do with it, but she wanted explanations as Matt resumed his breathing. He had so retained it that his skin had become red and his lips had turned purple for a few seconds. The internal checked his vitals quietly, observing each curve of the monitor before giving his conclusions.

"I absolutely don't know", he admitted, apparently still shocked by Matt's cries.

"Gabby", Matt grumbled, opening his burning eyes with difficulty.

"I am here, babe. I'm here."

She pushed almost the young physician to be next to Matt and stroke his hand, her gaze meeting his gaze. There was still pain in his eyes.

"What happened?" Gabby asked, trying to keep her calm.

Matt closed his eyes, biting his lower lip and holding back a sob and some tears.

"The pain was really... Too high..."

"It got worse?"

"It was... At least ten times worse than this morning..."

At the same time, Dr. Abrams entered the room and came to the other side of the bed, opposite to Gabby.

"Injection of 5mg of morphine about two minutes ago. Pulse at 107, blood pressure at 164 over 95, oxygen saturation at 98%."

"Matt, tell me exactly what happened."

"I, uh... Gabby woke me up, and... I'm sorry, the pain was really unbearable…"

"Your migraine?"

Matt nodded, squeezing Gabby's hand even more.

"Why did you wake him up?"

"He... he was covered in sweat and his breathing was fast and shallow."

"Okay. We take his for a CT. Right now."

"What? Why?"

"Treatment doesn't stop bleeding, it simply gives it the place to spread without causing brain damage or exerting too much pressure. If I'm right, then the bleeding has intensified with his dropping pressure, causing then the reaction that Matt has just had. And if that's the case, then we'll have to act quickly."

Before Gabby could reply or ask a question, Matt was taken to the radiology while she stood motionless, petrified. Tears came to her eyes, she held a sob as the nurses strove to get her out. She didn't really know what was going on, and the doctor's last words terrorized her. Act quickly. It meant so much and nothing at the same time. Too shocked, too lost, she could no longer restrain the tears accumulated on the edges of her eyes. She crouched down on the floor, burying her face in her arms and legs, weeping without making any sound. As for Matt, he was in the scanner, animated images of the inside of his skull appearing on the screen of the radiologist and the neurosurgeon.

"He has to go to the OR. Right now."

He grabbed the phone, asking his team to get ready for another surgery, and then called the OR to have a room ready. After five minutes of intense discussion, he managed to get one in ten minutes, giving him full time to talk to Gabby. He stepped out of the room, heading to the third floor again to meet Gabby. When she saw the doctor, she straightened up to face him as he stopped in front of her.

"So? What's happening?" She asked, wiping away the tears that were still running down her cheeks.

"The drug given didn't stop the bleeding. They reduce the pressure inside the skull so that it develops fully without causing irreversible damage."

But Gabby had already been aware of this, she knew that there was really no medicine to stop the bleeding. For more information, she gave him a look even blacker than Matt's look an hour ago.

"With reduced pressure on the damaged vessels, they were torn further, causing bigger and faster bleeding. That's why his condition deteriorated so quickly."

"Wait, you... You mean that... The treatment that was supposed to help him, only made things worse?"

"To say it simply, yes. The bleeding is too quick to stop on its own and too large to be managed by Matt's body. We must intervene as soon as possible."

Gabby's eyes widened, fear gripped each cell of her body, her breathing cut off, as if someone had just squeezed her lungs very tightly.

"Surgery?"

"Indeed. We have an OR free in less than ten minutes. As Matt can't make a clear decision because of the dose of morphine he received, it is up to you to accept surgery or not."

New tears gathered in her eyes as she passed her hand over her lips. She could not believe it. Surgery. She would never have thought that it would go this far because of a simple slight shock. But Matt needed this surgery as soon as possible, and she didn't want to lose him.

"Do it. Do the surgery, and if there is any problem, I swear to God that I will sue you because you have given him this treatment", she announced very firmly, anger and despair reading in her eyes.

The doctor didn't say anything, he nodded simply, not to annoy Gabby any further and left again for the lower floors to take Matt into surgery and save his life.

* * *

 **A/N: YES, I KNOW, it sounds bad for Matt, and it's understandable. The next chapter will be focused on the surgery: I will try to give you the most details possible, I will give you all the fact, everything that can happen in the OR with a tricky brain surgery, etc... Because what Dr. Abrams is going to do is very hard to understand and "appreciate" (sort of), it's like you're trying to do a puzzle with micropieces visible only with a microscope.**

 **I hope you liked this chapter ^^**


	8. Chapter 8

Hello everybody! Here is a new chapter, as usual for this story ^^

I am glad to see that you still like Life of three.

YES he at the end needed the surgery, YES I am evil, YES it's cruel to publish what happens next after this cute episode from yesterday, NO I don't feel guilty :D

I have tried to include as much details as I could to make you understand what happens in the OR when there is a surgery like this one (sorry if I don't have the proper medical terms etc, but even in French I couldn't find them).

time to read! Enjoy ^^

* * *

 **CHAPTER 8**

As the effects of the dose of morphine dissipated relatively quickly, Matt began to experience another sharp pain at his right temple on his way to the operating room. When he opened his eyes painfully, he noticed that one of the nurses had placed an oxygen mask on his face, surrounding his nose and mouth as he hardly took an inspiration. His lips spread as oxygen penetrated his mouth, savoring this extra amount of pure oxygen. He couldn't concentrate properly on something around him, everything was going too fast for him, everything was too blurry. However, there were many sounds which assaulted his ears, but he really couldn't take into account what the voices said. It must have been important, but he couldn't integrate them. What did they tell? He didn't even know where he was, he couldn't stop blinking at every light he crossed because they dazzled him. Too many strident sounds, too many lights, too much fatigue, too much pain. He couldn't stay awake any longer. He closed his eyes despite the recommendations of Dr. Abrams, feeling enveloped in a thick fog.

"We have to move. His GCS is plummeting at high speed. Come on, let's go, let's go!"

The surgeon and the accompanying nurses almost ran to the OR. Finally, the group split in two: one went to get prepared immediately for the surgery and the other group had to prepare the patient for the tricky intervention he would undergo. While three OR nurses and Dr. Abrams were soaping themselves to be as sterile as possible, the other nurses and the intern surgeon brought Matt on the operating table. Also, while the nurses were busy assembling the necessary equipment for the surgery and determining their sterility, the intern came to sterilize his hands and arms to support Dr. Abrams. In the meantime, the anesthesiologist was busy with the patient.

"I need two milligrams of midazolam and forty milligrams of rocuronium. And prepare ten more milligrams for the surgery."

For anesthesia in neurosurgery, it was absolutely necessary not to use morphine, but benzodiazepines in order to exclude the most side effects. In most cases, the anesthesiologist used midazolam: he injected a light dose to put the patient to sleep, then settled an IV to keep the patient in a deep sleep. The advantage of midazolam was that it was also anticonvulsant, which suited the surgeon in the case of Matt. Rocuronium, a curare, was used for muscle paralysis, especially for intubation. The whole mixture was the appropriate cocktail for a neurosurgery like this one. The anesthesiologist picked up a chair and sat down near Matt's head, checking his vitals as before the start of any injection, and then began injecting midazolam after checking the dose he had requested and excluded all possible bubbles inside. He then changed the oxygen mask on Matt's face for the one from the OR, which manually allowed him to ventilate the patient while midazolam was acting. After two minutes, a nurse took over so that he could inject the rocuronium and intubate Matt in the next ninety seconds. Inserting the endotracheal tube down his throat, the nurse adjusted the device previously affixed to the mask to the external fixation of the ET tube while the anesthesiologist used with a securing device to hild the tube so that Matt couldn't bite it. He looked again at the screen of the monitor, watching each parameter with caution. Matt's heart rate was stable, his blood pressure too, and his oxygen saturation was 100% with proper ventilation. It was regulated in hyperventilation to reduce blood flow to his brain during surgery. Dr. Abrams finally entered the room under the nurses' gazes. He knew how to recognize the signs of fatigue, because everybody was after a thirty-hour shift, but his patient's life depended on them and everyone was going to give their maximum so that the surgery could go well, quickly and efficiently.

"Alright, we'll put him on his left side. Hold his head."

The anesthesiologist put himself in place, putting both hands on his temples while the rest of the staff helped to keep Matt stable, allowing Dr. Abrams to place his head in a surgical vise.

"I'm going to blur a hole right here... And here", he explained to everyone, marking spots where he was going to perform the surgery.

Once done, he picked up the hair clipper that was held out to him, turned it on and meticulously passed it over Matt's head to clear the area. His blond hair fell in thousands, collected in a bag by one of the assistants. Then, the surgeon sprinkle betadine to sterilize the area of the surgical site and finally surrounded this area with a delineation of blue surgical drapes held together with clamps.

"Okay, is everyone ready?"

Each in turn, clockwise, the block nurses, the anesthesiologist and then his assistant nodded.

"So, let's start. Electric scalpel."

He reached for one of the assistants to give him one, and once in his hand, he took a deep breath as he watched the clock.

"Time of incision, 1:49pm."

On the point he had drawn on Matt's head, he cut his skin up and down, on about two inches. This scalpel was special because it made it possible to cut the skin without difficulty thanks to a device heating the skin while cauterizing the wound in order to avoid any superfluous bleeding while his assistant had in hand a suction device to remove any residues of the wound.

"Retractor."

Delicately, he placed it into the wound and spread the skin to finally see the site he was going to pierce. Before reaching the bone, it was first necessary to cut the muscles with the help of the same scalpel while the same assistant came to suction the undesirable material. He then passed these muscles under the retractor, as not to be bothered by them during the rest of the surgery, then held out his hand again.

"Drill."

This was probably the most difficult part of the whole procedure: if the surgeon went too far, he would pierce all the meningeal layers and endanger his patient's life, and if he went too slowly, he could also kill the patient because of the lack of speed. With the experience he had gained over the years with the best neurosurgeons, Dr. Abrams was able to realize it in the shortest possible time, until then without any error. Of course, neurosurgeons had to believe in themselves to be a good neurosurgeon, but they had to know how to put themselves in question with each surgery, because each patient was unique. Inserting the drill into the wound, he asked his nearest assistant to stand by a pipette of saline to irrigate the area while he was going to drill. Indeed, the vibrations and the speed of rotation of the head heated the skull and could damage it, and hydrating it continuously was helping to attenuate these effects. The tension was palpable as he blurred the hole, everyone knew that the slightest false movement on the part of one of them could be fatal. After five minutes of hard work, he removed the drill to allow the assistants to suction the debris of skull and irrigate the area one last time. The doctor sighed as a nurse wiped his forehead, asking the anesthesiologist about Matt's vitals.

"Regular heart rate at 96, BP stable at 163 over 115, Oxygen saturation at 99%. He's stable."

"Is he hooked to the hyperventilation mode?"

"Yes doctor. Respiratory rate at 40."

"Okay. At the slightest change with his vitals, you tell me."

"Yes Doctor."

The surgeon cracked his neck, evacuating the pressure he had accumulated in order to continue the surgery as serenely as possible.

"Okay, let's continue with the second hole."

They did the same maneuver again: Dr. Abrams cut his skin and the muscles around the site, spreading them with a small retractor, then pierced his skull while a nurse irrigated the forming hole with saline.

"You're all ready to collect the blood?"

Everyone nodded slightly, and the surgeon asked one again the evolution of Matt's vitals. As he was still stable, he exhaled, then inhaled deeply before going further.

"Alright. Scalpel."

The meningeal layers were very thin, easy to break with the aid of a simple scalpel. He took a new inspiration, giving his orders without raising his head to avoid moving too abruptly.

"Prepare suction as soon as possible", he asked quietly.

He then pierced the first layer of the dura mater, the superficial layer which protected the meninges, and a stream of blood escaped from the wound, quickly caught up by one of the suction device. Once dried, the area was again hydrated with saline before going further.

"Give me another scalpel, please."

Lulled by Matt's heart rhythm and the regular hissing of the ventilator, the surgical staff acted together to ensure a remarkable quality and speed for the surgery. Every minute counted, everyone knew. With the scalpel in hand, the neurosurgeon removed the first external meningeal layer on the second hole, and with the back of it, he pressed the second layer of the dura mater in order to cut it in half. This time, the bleeding was much more abundant, and Dr. Abrams immediately noticed a change in Matt's heart rhythm.

"Damian?"

"Heart rate up to 113. BP decreasing at 157 over 104 and saturation to 98%."

Despite the aspiration, the bleeding was too important to be contained by them, but he had to pierce the second layer from the first hole to help the bleeding to leave his brain. Using again the back of the scalpel, he cut the second dura mater layer. The neurosurgeon used a special syringe and inserted it into the first hole, pushing saline through it to clean the wound. Mixed with blood, saline came through the second hole and was collected in a basin. This operation lasted thirty minutes, during which Matt's blood pressure slightly dropped at a regular pace, indication that it was a success. Unfortunately, this operation couldn't be used to stop the bleeding, but Dr. Abrams inserted a drain into the first blur hole and then hooked a suction bulb to collect the bleeding and to keep the wound perfectly dry during the time the bleeding stopped on its own, which was the case for most of the patients he had had. This allowed him to have an alternative to craniotomy, because it was the most dangerous procedure for Matt since he had already had an emergency brain surgery a few years back. He secured the drain with two sutures, wrapping them around the drainage tube and fixed it to Matt's scalp, and then ordered the second drilled hole to be close. For the muscles, he used two sutures, then used staples for the skin.

"Let's finish this."

As for the second hole, he sutured the muscles on the first one, then used staples to close the wound. He made sure everything was fine with Matt, collecting every information he could use to make sure of his health. The drain was doing its job perfectly, and he asked the anesthesiologist about his patient's vitals.

"Heart rate at 83, BP down to 145 over 94, oxygen saturation at 99%."

"Okay, we're done here, we saved another life. Be proud of you", he announced. "Let's get him up to recovery."

As with every cerebral surgery, the patient had to be kept for at least twelve hours under sedation and his vital had to be monitored to keep an eye on the situation. For this, the midazolam and rocuronium given in IV remained in place, and mechanical ventilation remained in hyperventilation mode in order to reduce the pressure on the brain caused by the bleeding. Also, the treatment with corticosteroids was stopped and replaced with mannitol, but diuretics were still heavily used in addition to hyperventilation to reduce the swelling. The surgeon then left the OR, his intern took care of Matt as he removed his gloves, his surgical mask, then the overshoes and gown he had to wear when he was in the operating room. He allowed himself to take a break before going to see the relatives of a patient, heading to the balcony to smoke. It was not really ethical for him to leave relatives in stress, doubt and anxiety, but talking to them immediately after surgery was an impossible mission for him, it usually took him five long minutes to relax before really announcing good or bad news to relatives. For Gabby, these two hours were the longest of her life. The scene unfolded before her eyes in slow motion, she sat in the waiting room, contemplating the emptiness in front of her. She didn't blink, except when Michelle came into the same room to reassure her and give her some water and something to eat. But Gabriela wasn't hungry, she was not thirsty. All she wanted was Matt, and no one else. She wanted to be near him, to touch him, to caress his hand, to feel him near her, with her. She wouldn't be anywhere else but with the man she loved. She cracked her fingers, she got up, she sighed, she sat again, and repeated this same way again and again. She hadn't called Kelly, she hadn't called anyone. She could not. She didn't have the heart for that at all. And as she finished an umpteenth round of pacing, she caught sight of Dr. Abrams from the corner of her eye. He walked slowly into the room, and for a second, probably unnoticed by the surgeon, she froze, her blood chilled, her heart almost stopped beating as her breathing cut off. Her heavy legs refused to obey her immediately, but the doctor said nothing, watching Gabby move softly toward him as she held back a sob and tears were ready to leave her eyes.

"How..."

Even her voice sounded broken as she was still shocked. But the doctor knew the question, he had heard it hundred times, thousands even before this one. He took a deep breath, and began to smile from the corner of his mouth.

"The surgery went as well as expected."

It was a relief for Gabby, as if a weight of a hundred pounds had just been released from her chest. She allowed herself a long sigh, still holding back her tears and a sob, waiting for further explanation.

"We drained the hematoma and put a drain on to keep the surgical site dry, but he's still bleeding. However, it should stop shortly."

"Y-you… You didn't stop the bleeding?"

"If I had performed a craniotomy, yes I would. But this surgery avoids precisely this type of hard surgery. We use it only as a last resort, when the bleeding is too large, acute and when there is no other option available. We will monitor him very closely for the next few hours to see how things are going. We will do a CT every two hours or so to be fully sure that the operation is a complete success."

"Can I see him?"

"Since you've been there once already, you know the answer to that question."

It was true, Gabby had already endured this stress and this situation, three years ago. It had been an experience that she absolutely didn't want to live again.

"The twelve hours?"

"Indeed. The next twelve hours will be decisive and critical to see the evolution of the bleeding, which is why we keep him under sedation until then. Standard procedure."

Gabby was still holding a sob, but the surgeon could see a single tear stream down her cheek. She was relieved and tired at the same time. He could see it.

"Go home and rest in the meantime. You really need it, and Matt as well. I will ask Michelle to keep you informed of the situation and to tell you when you will be able to see him. Okay?"

Gabby nodded, not looking straight at the surgeon.

"Thank you, doctor. Really. Thank you so much."

"This is my job. No need to thank me."

As he smiled at her again, he left the room as Gabby took another deep breath and headed down to the main floor to get to her car and drive back home. It was unpleasant for her to leave Matt alone, but she has no other choice. As she parked the car, she looked at the front of her house. Their house. Now it was theirs, and there was a new inhabitant. She could not help but to smile before climbing the few steps that separated her from this house she cherished. She opened the door, and was surprised by the lack of noise that came over her. Frowning, she turned as Kelly was surprised to see her.

"Hey", he whispered and kissed her on the cheek, as usual.

"Where is Louie?"

"Taking a nap."

Surprised, Gabby raised her head.

"After your call, it's like… Like his anxiety faded, and he fell asleep an hour ago."

"He was calm with you?"

"After your call, yes, don't worry about it. Uh… There is some leftovers in the fridge if you want to eat a bit, you look really pale."

"Uh…"

Their house. It was the place where she felt the most capable of releasing all the emotions she held in the firehouse or elsewhere, in the hospital for this one. The sob she had been holding since the beginning of the afternoon came to haunt her again, coming freely out her body as tears came to flow down her face. To hide it, in vain, she passed her hand over her mouth as Kelly took her in his arms.

"Hey, hey... What's going on? Tell me."

As she was about to collapse to the ground, Kelly took her in his arms to take her to the living room and sit on the sofa, taking some kleenex as on their way. He had never seen Gabby in this state of sadness and despair, and he knew for a fact that it had to be about Matt, that something had happened to him.

"Talk to me."

"Uh… T-The hematoma. The treatment didn't work as expected, and... The hematoma spread. They had to take him to surgery", she admitted, crying on Kelly's shoulder.

Kelly's heart tightened at the news, but he said nothing. He just comforted Gabby, letting her talk and releasing everything she had on her heart.

"The surgery went well, b-but… I can't even see him until tomorrow at least."

"Hey, Gabby. We've already been through this. Matt is though, he's gonna make it, okay? He's too stubborn for that."

Gabby couldn't help but to smile. Of course Matt was head strong, but still. He was her boyfriend, her soul mate, her other half. Hurting him was like hurting her. Conforted by Kelly, she took five minutes to pull herself together and stop crying, drying her tears with a kleenex.

"I need to see Louie."

Kelly didn't hold her back as she got up, heading to the room previously inhabited by him, but now by the little boy. The little spare bedroom had turned into a kid's bedroom, with lots of toys littering the floor and colorful paint on the wall. On the bed, wrapped in blankets and stuffed monkey in his hands, Louie was sleeping peacefully. She smiled. The surgeon was right, she needed to go home. To be with her family. Their family. Because Matt was a part of it.


	9. Chapter 9

Hello, glad to see you again tonight ^^

I hope you (sort of) liked the previous chapter, the one with all the medical terms. As I said yesterday, it was already hard for me to find the proper terms in French, and even harder to find them in English. But I did it, and I am proud of it ^^

It tooks time to have review, but I guess it was because some stories have been updated after mine. But that's okay, at least, some read it and I had reviews after all :D

Today, as the first day of december, I wanted to give you a cute and emotional chapter. And I trully think that this is the cutest chapter I've written down so far (all stories included).

That was kind of texterlover's idea, and I asked a question to a friend of mine about... Nevermind (lol), it 's because we don't use the same expression for something called "a little boy's penis" _you will understand by reading the chapter_.

So, enjoy, and I am looking forward to read your reviews :D

* * *

 **CHAPTER 9**

The next morning, Gabby was awakened by sudden movements near her in the bed. She smiled, thinking that it was Matt who was moving for the umpteenth time in his sleep, but that smile quickly faded. Matt couldn't be near her, it was impossible. Then, softly, she opened her eyes, adapting to the sunlight that was beginning to penetrate the room through the curtains. Right next to her, looking at her with admiration, the child she was fostering, Louie.

"Good morning sweety."

As usual, Louie smiled slightly. This time, he could take all the place next to Gabby, even if by habit, he looked behind him, as if to wake Matt. But very quickly, his attention turned on Gabby, who stretched while yawning one last time.

"Did you have a good sleep?"

Soon, Louie nodded slightly, observing her new mom in her morning routine. He still didn't understand why he was prioritized when they awoke, but he loved it. The parents he had always had before made him pass after themselves, even if he tried by all means to have their attention.

"Alright big boy! Let's get changed!"

Gabby held out her hand so he could catch it and they would leave for his room. He crawled to one of the edges of the bed, sliding down and touching the floor, then he took Gabby's hand and together they walked to his room. She opened the curtains, blinding them for couple seconds, then turned to take Louie in her arms.

"Let's see if you were clean all night…", she said, smiling.

He smiled back, not knowing the answer either. All he knew was that he wanted to go to the bathroom. As usual, Louie stood on the small table, so that Gabby could take off his pajamas, then his diaper.

"Louie? I have good news: there is no pee in your diaper!"

"Yay!" He exclaimed, raising his arms to the sky. "All coolean!" He said, trying to say clean.

"My little boy is becoming a big boy now. You want to go to the bathroom?"

"Huh."

"Only pee?"

"Huh."

"Okay then, terminus, we go down!"

She took Louie again in her arms to put him on the ground, and when done, the little boy ran into the bathroom, laughing, followed by Gabby. He loved that moment: Matt had set up a small monkey shaped urinal he had found on the internet, so he could do his little thing like grown-ups. Matt had taught him to properly target the middle of the urinal in order to turn the small turnstile, which brought a playful side of the event and encouraged Louie to come back often and to be clean faster. At first, Gabby was afraid that this step would be too high for a three-year-old boy, but Louie had completely overcome this challenge. In fact, he was almost clean during the day and he was getting clean at night as well. Matt had the best idea ever.

"Done!"

"Did you clean Dude?"

Louie suddenly turned, grabbing two sheets of paper to wipe it, and throwing them in the toilet.

"Yeah!"

"That's good, Louie. I am proud of you. Now, let's go get dressed!"

In order to take care of Louie properly, Gabby put all her emotions aside for the well-being of this little boy. Her anxiety and distress shouldn't rub off on him, he had already had a rather difficult life before today, so she had no right to destabilize him even more. Once in his bedroom again, Louie went to his wardrobe full of clothes, and he chose himself what he wanted to put on for the day.

"Don't forget that today, we're going out, sweetheart", she added affectionately.

Gabby and Matt had stowed the wardrobe by putting the warm clothes on the right and the summer clothes on the left. He knew that recently, Matt and Gabby dressed him warmly, and even that way, he would shudder sometimes. He walked to the right, taking a long-sleeve orange t-shirt, his favorite color, and black pants he liked. He turned, seeing a smile on his new mom's face.

"You forgot a sweater and your underwear, big boy."

He turned again, looking into one of the many drawers, looking for an underwear. He got out the first one he could find, and grabbed the woolen sweater that had been offered by Kelly a few days ago, orange as well, to give it to Gabby. Proud of him, he smiled. She raised an eyebrow and looked amused.

"No socks?"

Louie opened his mouth, forming an o with his lips and put his hands on them, and as he turned for the third time, Gabby couldn't help but to laugh. More and more, Louie opened up to her and Matt, burying his shyness a little more each day and developing his rather spirited personality. Little by little, thanks to the daycare and the other firefighters in the firehouse, he was learning quickly, talking, smiling, and sometimes laughing, to the delight of Matt and her. His laugh was very communicative, and just hearing him, everyone was obliged to be in a good mood.

"Okay, so for now, we put your shirt and underwear on. We'll put the rest when we get out, okay?"

"Otay."

"Do you want to dress yourself as a big boy?"

Louie nodded, smiling to his ears.

"Then, I show you. You have to look for the label first, okay? And when you have found it, it must be to you, like this."

Gabby picked up the underwear he had chosen, looking for the label as indicated, then arranged it to be on Louie's side so that he could put it on easily.

"Here, try to put it on your own", she said, handing it to him.

He sat down on the floor after taking it, repeating the gestures that Gabby had shown him a few seconds before. He spotted the famous label, turning it towards him. By dint of being dressed by Matt, he understood that it was necessary to first pass his legs in the big hole before the small ones, his left leg in the left hole and his right leg in the hole on the right. Once done, he got up and pulled it up to his waist. He raised his head, very proud of him with a big smile on his face.

"Now the shirt. You look at where the label is, then you put your arms and head in the big hole, the head goes into the small hole in the middle, and the arms in the other two on the sides", Gabby patiently explained the gestures to do with the shirt Louie had chosen.

She then handed him the t-shirt, trying to do as it had been shown, but this time it was much harder. He couldn't put his head in the right hole or his arms.

"Some help?"

"Yes."

Gabby then helped him pass his head through the collar of the shirt, putting it back on the spot, and Louie finally put his arms in the long sleeves.

"You're ready! Come on, go play a little while I'm getting ready."

The little man ran into the living room, continuing to laugh and making Gabby laugh at the same time.

"And no foolery, okay!"

She then left Louie's room, heading to the parental bedroom and finally get dressed in a few minutes. Usually, when Gabby dressed, Matt was near Louie to prepare breakfast, or at least set the table and prepare what was needed for a good breakfast. Sometimes, it was the other way around: Gabby took care of breakfast with Louie while Matt was dressing. Besides, Louie often helped to set up the table, carrying what was not fragile to the table or on the work surface, using a wooden box painted in orange that Matt placed next to him, to help him and to be at good height. But today, that was not the case. Matt was not with him while Gabby switched from pajamas to town clothes, but he still wanted to help Gabby. He went to fetch his wooden box, carrying it over his head, and placed it on the ground. Then he took out three plastic plates, because his new parents had refused him to take care of what he could break unintentionally. He pulled out one of the drawers, pulling out three forks and three knives with rounded ends. Some drawers had security, and he knew he had no right to touch them. Then, he opened the fridge not without difficulty, using all his strength to open the door. The cold caught his bare legs, but he didn't realize it. For the moment, hot and cold didn't matter a three-year-old boy. But he knew what he could and couldn't get out: he took the orange juice and used his box to put it on the table, he also took out the butter and the milk bottle. For the rest, he didn't know, so he closed the fridge and waited wisely Gabby who was getting ready. About two minutes later, she came to the living room, dressed in jeans and one of Matt's shirt, the one he had worn several years ago as a candidate. She had made a bun with her hair and had decided not to do her makeup, at least for now. As she entered the kitchen, she froze. She couldn't remember taking plates and cutlery out last night. Louie came towards her, clinging to her legs as he raised his head. Gabby took the child in her arms, still a little shocked.

"Did you do that?"

By fear of being scolded, he looked away and nodded shyly. She rested her gaze on the worktop, noticing that it was not the plates she refused him to carry, but his own plates, plastic ones, as well as the cutlery she gave him to eat. But what attracted her attention was the number of plates, forks and knives.

"Why three plates while we are only two?"

"For Matt."

Gabby opened her mouth slightly, bewildered by what she had just heard, and that broke her heart. Because Louie thought Matt was coming back home for breakfast. Still turned upside down and tears rising to the eyes, she took the little boy to the sofa, making him sit on her thighs.

"Uh... You remember yesterday, sweetie? Matt was a little sick, and he had to see a doctor?"

Louie nodded. He remembered perfectly the boo boo kiss he had given him, as well as the phone call that Kelly had received.

"Well... Matt was... Very sick, and... He had to stay with the doctor."

"Vewy vewy sick?"

"Yes. He was given some medication that didn't work, and... And the doctor is trying new ones now. To see if... If Matt can get better soon."

"And come home?"

"And come home, yes."

It did her good to hear Louie say that this house was his home. It meant that he had adapted and loved this place. She forced a smile, more to reassure Louie than herself.

"Miss him", admitted innocently the boy, looking away sadly.

Gabby strove to kiss his cheek affectionately, still holding back her tears. She had to stay strong for him now. It was up to her not to burst into tears, she had to comfort him. Louie was sorely lacking in attention, especially paternal one. And Matt was here to fill the void that had formed within him during the first three years of his life when he was taken from home to another one, again and again. And he never really felt what it was to have a mother and a father who really loved him. But here, with Gabby and Matt, he felt at home. He felt loved, he was beginning to have his own definition of what parents were. And taking Matt away from him, it was like he was losing that dad he had never had before.

"I know sweetheart. I miss him too. But you know what? We can go see him together very soon."

"When?"

"When Matt will get better and the doctor will say that Matt is strong enough to see you."

"Otay."

"You stay here playing while I prepare breakfast?"

Louie nodded, slipping from Gabby's legs to sit on his knees on the floor, in order to stand at the coffee table. As Gabby returned to the kitchen, Louie took a large paper and his pens, and began to draw. Urgently, but without Louie noticing it, she looked at her phone to see if the nurse had called or left a message, which was the case. She opened the little text, and as she read the contents, her smile grew bigger. It said that Matt was stable, that the bleeding seemed to have finally stopped during the night, and that Dr. Abrams would soon reduce sedation in order to wake him up gently. It was decidedly great news. She put away her phone, preparing joyfully breakfast, singing while Louie was finishing his drawing. When he had finished, it was finally time to eat for the two of them and he brought his drawing proudly to Gabby.

"For Matt."

She smiled at him, looking attentively at his drawing. Her surprise was even greater than when Louie had helped to set up the table a few minutes ago. He had drawn a sort of house, with three people, one of them was much smaller than the two others. One had yellow features on his face, letting her imagination tell her that it was Matt. The second figure had longer brown lines starting from the top of the head. It was her. And the little boy was Louie. He had been drawn himself all orange, which didn't surprise her at all. But what she liked above all was the smile that each of the characters had on their faces, as if they were happy.

"Come home soon."

Suddenly, it hit her: what Louie had wanted to draw was coming home with Matt and she, like a real family. This time she couldn't hold back her tears in front of the young boy. But it was not tears of sadness, quite the contrary. It was tears of joy, but Louie didn't really understand it. For him, tears were associated with pain and sadness, not joy.

"Sad?"

"No, no!"

She wiped away the tears streaming down her cheeks, smiling even more.

"I'm happy, Louie. Matt will love your drawing, I'm sure."

Yes, together, they really made an incredible family.


	10. Chapter 10

HELLO EVERYONE! I know, I didn't update for a few days, but I had a lot of things going on, I had exams (and I still have some coming until december 17th), etc. I did my best to write for today (as it's the so much waited winter finale of Chigaco Fire), and I hope you will like this chapter.

It's mostly based on Matt's awakening, and after this one, there will be one OR two more chapters (depending on how much I will write down my ideas _and texterlover ideas of course).

Time to read now ^^

* * *

 **CHAPTER 10**

Music. That was what he had heard for ages but had not yet managed to assimilate. One familiar song, then another, and another one. Over time, the sensations gradually returned: he saw nothing, at least not yet normally: the impression of being in a thick opaque fog persisted despite his will to come through. He moved his fingers, noticing that he then felt almost nothing, except perhaps some sensations of tingling. In fact, he didn't really have control of his body, he could barely move, but what he felt was almost multiplied. It was... Annoying, but frightening at its paroxysm. It was like being locked in a narrow room and totally black with loneliness as only friend. It was no use trying to shout, it was no use trying to get out, it was impossible. He was going crazy. He felt moving, it was only the features of his face but he knew, he could feel that he was moving on his own. The music faded, and other noises took over the melody that accompanied it. There were like many alarms overlapping, shrill and screaming like never before. It was horrible. And then, there were hisses, very close to him, much slower than the alarms, but present. This uproar gave him a great thrill, beginning from the tips of his toes and gently ascending along the spine to the brain. His head. He remembered the unbearable pain he had had in his last awakening. It was panic in his head, and the most resonant alarm sounded louder. Was it a hand that had just landed on one of the warm parts of his body? Or was it cold? Was he someone he knew? Or whatever? Among all the sounds he heard, one of them caught his attention. It was a woman's voice, very soft and reassuring, somewhat noisy, but benevolent. He didn't understand what she was saying, but knowing that someone was with him was enough to calm him down rather quickly. Now that he thought about it, he no longer had a really bad headache. The migraine he had felt was gone, but other sensations, dizziness, strident noises, were always present. Though different, but well and truly there. All these sounds attacking him dissipated for a few seconds and came back to attack him even more strongly. But he could move more, that was the most important. The sounds and senses seemed to develop more, he could now feel his chest rise and fall at a steady, very precise and fast pace. His mouth seemed open, obstructed by something crawling to the bottom of his throat. He could feel it, something was down his throat. And as he had the impression that the fog in which he was dissipated little by little, something tilled in his head: he had already experienced this long time ago. He had already felt this, the effects of a long sleep that was fading. Was he awakening from a coma? How long had it lasted? Did anyone think about him? Did he have someone beside him to support him in this ordeal? The same voice as before spoke to him, this time hearing snatches of conversation, keywords. Squeeze. Could he only do that? He felt a warm hand on one end, as the voice asked to squeeze. Should he squeeze that hand? In doubt, he concentrated to close his hand, gradually feeling invaded by the warmth of that sweet hand. Should he open his eyes? Did he have the strength? Was he ready to see the world around him? After all, he remembered what was waiting for him on the other side of his mind. He remembered hitting his head, remembering that he had come to the hospital with Gabby, he remembered how many hours of rest he had taken and how much pain he had felt, as well as the insurmountable heat invading him at the same moment, as if he were thrown into a fire without any means of escaping him. By the way, where was Gabby? He was almost sure that it was not her by her side, she had hands much sweeter and thinner than this one. Unless he stayed in coma too long? How long had he slept? Was it day or was it night? What time was it? The surrounding sounds dissipated again, returning even more strongly later. This time, nothing was stuck in his throat, but something came to tickle his nostrils and pass behind his ears. He could breathe. How much had he slept this time? A few seconds? Several minutes? Hours? Moreover? The female voice came back to him, giving him reassuring words with a soft, silky tone. That same hand came back in his, and to his surprise, his response time was much quicker and his grip stronger. This time, he was asked to do something else. Open. But open what? His hand? His mind? His eyes? It was probably his eyes she was talking about, right? That was probably the next phase? Si, he concentrated on something other than his hand, discovering that he could do something else. He could move his fingers, he could grunt, frown, move his lips. But did he only have the strength to open his eyes? Only one way to find out. Using all the strength he could find and gather inside of him, he first moved his eyelids, receiving messages of encouragement. A last titanic effort, and he could see for the first time the light. It was blinding, foul, cruel, and he quickly closed his eyes. He would rather to remain locked in the darkness than to be blinded again. The voice asked him to do it again, but he didn't want to. Once again, his mind dissipated to come back even stronger. How long was it going to last? More alert than before, he could feel a bandage in his hair, to the right of his skull. The surgery. He had undergone the surgery suggested by the physician. If he was waking up, then it was all over, wasn't it? Since he recognized the female voice that spoke to him, he knew that it was this nurse who had taken care of him, but he couldn't put a name on her. But all this, it did not concern him so much. It was more Michelle, the nurse who was satisfied. And while Matt was falling asleep again, she decided to call Gabby to give her news. Coming out of the recovery room, she dialed her number and passed her phone to her ear.

"This is Gabriela Dawson."

"This is Michelle, the nurse."

"Oh, hello! I'm sorry, I didn't recognize your voice."

"That's no problem. I call you to give you some news about Matt."

"He is fine?" Gabby asked, her voice full of anxiety.

"He is even better than we could hope, to tell you the truth. His vitals are stable and he comes slowly back to a minimal state of consciousness."

"He is awake? Already?"

"Not quite yet, but he is waking up gradually. He is responding to certain orders, he is moving, he shakes hands, he grumbles, he opens his eyes. At his next awakening, he should start talking, and if everything goes well, by this evening, you will be able to visit him."

There was a long silence, during which neither of the women dared speak. Gabby was completely divided between shock and joy, and the nurse could feel this confusion through the phone.

"He... Is he okay?"

"Yes, everything is fine until then. He doesn't seem very agitated, a likely sign that he remembers what happened and why he is in that state. Since he has already experienced this, he probably knows what he is going through, which can help him a lot. But for now, we do not know more. We will see the evolution in the next hours."

"Alright, Alright. Uh... You... You said in the message that... That the bleeding had stopped?"

"That's right! The drain is dry since the beginning of the night, and the scan shows no bleeding as well. There is obviously a swelling, but the given medicines are here to contain and reduce it. As I said, so far so good."

Gabby gave a great sigh of relief, heard by everyone. She was in town with Kelly and Brett, shopping for Louie in the cold early winter that was coming. She had not turned on the speaker, but from her words, the two adults immediately realized that this long sigh indicated that something had just happened.

"Thank you very much. I... Can I come by tonight?"

"Of course, if everything goes well! A familiar presence should be good for him."

"Thank you. Goodbye."

She hung up, sighed in relief. Kelly and Sylvie, who had Louie in her arms, looked at her insistently, curious to know what he was turning over.

"It was Michelle, the neuro nurse. She... She gave me news about Matt", she explained, still shocked.

"Tell us."

The tone Gabby had used frightened the two friends.

"He uh... He's waking up", she said with a big smile. "He is not yet fully aware, but I have just been told that by this evening he will be."

"Oh my God, this is great!"

Sylvie came to cuddle Gabby despite having Louie in her arms. He didn't really understand what was going on, but to see Gabby's joy, he guessed she was talking about Matt.

"Matt?"

"Yes Louie! Matt is getting better, and tonight, I'll go back and see him and be with him. And soon, you can come and see him too."

A large smile appeared on the face of the little boy, and Kelly came to take him from the arms of Sylvie to tickle him, and make him burst into a laugh.

"What if we go for a ride on the ice rink? Have you ever slipped on ice Louie?"

He shook his head, but his curiosity was there. With his former mothers, he had never seen ice, it was almost as if he had never seen snow either. Kelly turned to Gabby, who agreed, and together they went to the ice rink. They equipped Louie with small skates, trying first to keep his balance. The boy found it funny, and when everyone was shod, Louie took Kelly's hand and Gabby's one and put his feet on ice for the first time. It was not easy, but after several minutes of adjustments, slides and laughter, Louie finally managed to find the right mix of slide to avoid falling, secured by Gabby on the left, Kelly on the right and Sylvie a little behind. It was a magic moment, as if there were no one on the ice, as if time had stopped or slowed down, lulled by Louie's laugh. The only problem he encountered was not living that moment with the one he was beginning to see as his father: Matt. But that didn't stop him from enjoying this perfect moment, he would surely come back here with him and spend a pleasant time with his family. This new experience greatly exhausted the little man and soon after he took off his shoes, he clung to Gabby's arms and dipped his head into the crook of her neck to fall asleep. So they went back to the apartment, Sylvie and Kelly deciding to stay to babysit Louie together while Gabby was preparing to come out again and be with Matt in the hospital. And when the latter woke up again, the sun poured its light into the room through the blinds. He looked to his left, seeing Gabby on an uncomfortable chair, sleeping with her head on the bed and on his arm. No wonder to find it numb. He smiled, not remembering at all since when Gabby was near him. How long was she here? It was his first real moment of lucidity. Someone came gently into the room, without knocking at the door. It was Kelly, with a large get well soon card from the firehouse. He greeted him, not speaking but using his right hand. Kelly then turned to Matt's right to not disturb Gabby, even though he was aware that Matt could not really turn his head to the right because of the drain. Although, he was somewhat shocked by Matt's white skin, and also because it was the first time he had seen him since their last shift, Kelly showed nothing but a big smile as he watched this woman asleep, both on the chair and the bed.

"You okay?" He whispered close to Matt.

"I guess, yeah. I, um... What day is it?"

"The third."

"I have... Lost almost two days."

"You didn't miss anything specific, believe me. And you were a little... Under sedation for at least half a day and then, you've been very high since yesterday morning."

Matt turned his head to the left, staring at the woman he loved. He tried to remember, but he didn't remember when Gabby came to his side. Had she left him at one time? Had she remained since the beginning?

"She's been here all night. She never left you."

"Who keeps Louie?"

"Sylvie takes him to the daycare this morning and then Bonnie takes care of him. We're on shift today."

"Gabby?"

"Chief Boden gave her a few days."

"Did she stay all the time?"

"The doc forced hr to go home after your surgery until last night. We tried to change her mind with Brett by taking Louie to the skating rink and do shopping, but... As soon as she could come back here, she did it without hesitation."

"You? Shopping?" Matt teased him, still a bit asleep.

Kelly followed him shortly after all, being careful not to wake Gabby.

"It's Christmas soon, I took the opportunity to find nice gifts. And I promised Louie to come with him."

"Mhhh."

The sudden movement Matt had just made to reposition himself came to wake Gabby, who straightened up and stretched before putting her eyes on the man she loved. She seemed surprised to see his smile and his eyes on her, but she smiled back, passing her hand over his cheek and kissing him.

"You missed me?"

"You have no idea", Gabby confessed, holding back tears. "I was so scared."

"But I'm here, and everything will be fine now, okay?"

Kelly stood there watching the couple enjoy each other after nearly two days of separation. Yes, they were made for each other, they lifted each other up. They were THE couple.


	11. Chapter 11

Hello everyone! This is almost the end of this story (chapter 12 will be the last one actually), and I trully hoped that you liked it.

I just already want to thank you for your reviwes and your patience. I had a lot of work to do and I barely had time to write down something (and update obviously).

I will try to update the last chapter tomorrw. I will already thank texterlover for her ideas of all these sweet/cute moments she shared with me for this story.

It is time to read now, ENJOY!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 11**

 _ **Five days later**_

Within a few days, Matt had recovered a lot of energy, and the doses of morphine for pain and mannitol for the swelling had gradually been reduced to the point of taking only Tylenol now because the migraine from the recent days was gradually fading as well as a slight dose of mannitol to ensure the proper recovery of his brain. There remained only a few residual headaches more due to the great upheaval inside his skull than to the migraine itself. The swelling had completely resolved, the bleeding had stopped a few hours before his awakening, and the surgeon had decided to remove the drain and he sutured the area two days ago. As he said, he no longer looked like a zombie. For the first time in several days, he finally allowed himself to live again, even if he had to stay at least two more days in this freaking hospital room. He had decided to shave his growing beard. The truth was, he liked it, but it was not practical at all. Fortunately, the diuretic treatment was over, and Michelle had gently come into the room to remove this instrument of torture serving as a catheter. It was a great relief for Matt, to the point that his first visit to the toilet was very emotional, Gabby would have thought that he was going to cry of joy as he seemed happy to pee in the toilet and not in a pocket. On request of Matt, she had left all day yesterday, both to rest and to take care of Louie. For him, he was still too young to understand everything that was going on, and there was no doubt that the absences of Gabby and himself would undoubtedly weigh on Louie's conscience. To tell the truth, he was afraid that Louie would feel rejected by the couple when it was not the case at all. Gabby hadn't told him that the little boy had perfectly understood what was going on, she had not told him that Louie was starting to miss him, she had not said anything to him. She had even forgotten to give him his drawing, too focused on Matt's recovery. But today, everything was different. Dr. Abrams had finally authorized regular visits, which Gabby had asked to keep secret. She wanted that the first to see Matt, with the exception of Kelly, would be Louie. Because he deserved it, because it was necessary, because both needed it. Gabby had come earlier in the day, helping Matt as she could because he always had dizziness, but nothing serious.

"Oh, by the way. I forgot something. Damn, I'm a bad girl."

"What?"

Matt had turned suddenly, because the suddenness of this conversation after a long silence. He didn't absolutely know what she was talking about, and intrigued, he frowned. Gabby took her bag, and gently pulled out a paper folded in four to hand it to the man of her life.

"Here."

Gently, Matt took it and unfolded it. He noticed it was a drawing by Louie. He watched it carefully from left to right, seeking every detail. He was only three years old, but with imagination, you could understand what he wanted to draw. On the drawing, there was a house and three characters. One was all orange and small, and Matt immediately realized that Louie had wanted to draw himself, which made him smile. His smile faded for a surprising look when he noticed the rest. The other two characters had long and brown lines for one and short and yellow features for the other. He immediately realized that it was Gabby and him, with a big smile on their faces as well as his own. Matt opened his mouth, but no sound came out, they were all stuck in his throat. He looked up at Gabby, who had a big smile on her face.

"I explained to him that you were very sick, that you had to stay with the doctor to have medicines and get better. So he drew this, to say that soon, we will all come back home together."

Without really knowing why, Matt felt overwhelmed by strong emotions. He was happy. He placed it beside him on the bedside table, highlighting it as a trophy of which he was particularly proud. Someone knocked at the door, and the person entered.

"Hello, lovers!"

It was Kelly, very merry.

"Hello to you too."

"I brought you some clothes to change for something more... Decent than that horrible hospital gown that you seem to appreciate so much", he teased.

"Go to Hell, Kelly."

"SO young lady, it's time to go home and take care of Louie! Come on! OUT!"

"Okay, okay! I'm leaving, two more minutes!"

Gabby took her bag and turned to Matt to kiss him under Kelly's amused gaze. She left the room two minutes later, and when she reached the apartment, she was welcomed with open arms by Louie and Sylvie.

"So, how is Matt today?"

"He's getting better. The headaches are less and less strong and the wound heals well. The doctor wants to run one last scan tomorrow to see if everything is going really well, and if so, he could come out tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."

"Oh my God, this is great!"

Louie had heard nothing, having gone back to his room to play with his dinosaurs. Sylvie hugged Gabby again, then left about ten minutes later.

"Gabby?"

Surprise, she turned to see Louie standing at the threshold of the door his room.

"Yes, Louie?"

Sometimes, Louie was very shy, especially when he felt embarrassed about a situation he had never faced before or when he met someone he didn't know at all. And this evening, Gabby could read this embarrassment on his face, as if he wanted to ask something, but he was ashamed.

"What is it sweetheart? Tell me everything."

"Have to... call you Mom?"

Her heart sank to the question. She made nothing appear on her face, but all sorts of emotion invaded her. Why this question? What had this little man in mind? She felt her lips open slightly, her voice cut off and no words coming out. Louie looked down, thinking that he had been completely wrong to ask that question. Seeing this, Gabby knelt on the floor, taking the three-year-old's hands, and smiled at him.

"I know that since you were born, you have had many different moms. And probably dads too", Gabby began very gently.

She wanted to explain things clearly and precisely while paying attention to her vocabulary in order to be understood by Louie. The latter had stopped counting how much mum and dad he had had during his life, at least, those he could remember. It was for this reason that he was sometimes violent towards his foster parents when they already had children: he could understand that he was going to be blindsided and wasn't going to get the attention he felt necessary to flourish, he regarded these people as a help to live, but nothing more. But with Gabby and Matt, it was different. From the first day of his meeting with the woman firefighter, he knew that the nightmare, the hell he was living in was probably over, and that a new life was about to begin. It took some time before he was placed at Gabby's, then the couple, and each of them gave him so much love, so much joy. They were able to bring him everything he needed and hoped, and even more. He had discovered the joy of being loved by a whole family, he had finally learned what a three-and-a-half-year-old boy was, he knew now what it was to have a father and mother. But what he understood above all was that Matt and Gabby were not his real parents, even if for him, the couple was an equivalent.

'We're not your blood parents, but Matt and I love you. As if you were our own son. So... If... If you want to call us dad and mom, then you can. But you don't have to if you don't want it, okay?"

"Otay."

Louie then advanced toward Gabby, throwing his thin arms around her neck and resting his head on her shoulder. Gabby did the same, smiling and trying not to cry in order to make Louie sad.

"I love you so much, Louie."

"Love you too. Mommy."

Nothing could please Gabby even more at this precise moment. She had the little boy in her arms, and he just said 'I love you' to her and called her 'mommy'. She suddenly become the happiest woman ever.

"You know what Louie? Today we are going to see Matt. Together."

Encountering the little boy's eyes, Gabby could read the joy and his surprise, even though he seemed to refrain himself from shouting with joy.

"He better?"

"Much better. And in a few days, he can go home."

Louie's face lit up even more, and a smile came to settle down on his face.

"Are you ready to go see Matt?"

His mouth opened, as if he meant he was not really ready. He ran to his room and stopped in front of his wardrobe. He opened the right door with difficulty and grabbed the first sweater Matt had offered him when he arrived in his life. He searched for the label, passed his head through the big hole then into the little hole, then passed his arms one after the other in the sleeves. Proud of him, he turned, smiling, seeing Gabby on the threshold of the door with tears ready to flow down her cheeks. His smile disappeared, he was suddenly afraid that what he had just done was something wrong.

"Sad?"

"No, no! Not at all, sweetie! I'm, uh... Proud of you."

Gabby had recognized this sweater, and it made her even happier. But what made her prouder was the fact that Louie knew how to dress almost helpless now. Except for his shoes.

"Come on, we're gonna put your shoes on."

"With t-wex?"

"Those with t-rex, yeah."

He took Gabby's hand and together, they went to the front door to put the shoes on, a coat and a scarf. About twenty minutes later, she parked her car in front of the hospital. Louie took Gabby's hand and together they entered the hospital, passing in front of the reception, then the souvenir shop.

"Book!" He screamed, pointing to the shop.

In the middle of the cuddly toys, there was a book stand, one of which had a large dinosaur as cover.

"Louie, you already have a lot of books at home."

Louie lowered his head and looked down, biting his lower lip, as if ashamed or unwilling to be scolded. Gabby said nothing else, trying to understand what Louie wanted by saying that. He asked for almost nothing, but when he did, it was something he really liked or wanted.

"Why do you want this book, sweetheart?" She asked as quietly as possible.

"Reading. Like when... Daddy reads a story to me."

Unable to speak, shocked by the revelation of Louie, she could not say a word. Daddy. Matt had become his daddy. And she had become his mom. She held back her tears, knowing that Louie always associated them with sadness, and smiled at him. She took him in her arms, and went to the shop. She bought the book which Louie envied and gave it to him. They climbed the three floors and then entered the Department, where Matt would stay until he could go home. She stopped in front of the room, and asked Louie to look at her.

"I know you're excited to see... Daddy, but I'm going to ask you not to scream, okay? There are many other sick people here, and they need a lot of rest to get better."

"Otay."

"Let's go."

Gabby placed the little boy on the ground, and knocked at the door before entering. Kelly was there in the room, he helped Matt change into sweat pants and a shirt, and was playing with him with cards using the cart.

"Hello again! Someone really missed you."

Gabby opened the door a little more, revealing Louie.

"Louie!"

She let go of his little hand, and he rushed to the bed while Matt straightened up and sat down on the edge of the bed. He took the boy in his arms, hugging him and kissing his forehead.

"I missed you a lot, you know?"

"Missed you too, daddy."

Matt's eyes widened, and he glanced at Gabby, who smiled and had tears in her eyes. He closed his eyes, trying to hold back those little tears he had not shed for nearly a week. He kissed Louie then, happy. Opening his eyes again, his glance froze at the book he held in his little hands. He frowned.

"What is this new book, bud?"

In front of each other, Louie gave the book to Matt and smiled.

"Reading."

"Do you want me to read it to you?"

In response, Louie smiled and then shyly nodded.

"Okay."

Matt then sank into his bed, dropping the little boy right next to him on the blankets. He pulled off the thick coat, then Louie sat back on his left side, marrying Matt's forms, and putting his head in the hollow of his arm and chest. As Matt began to read this new story, Kelly headed to Gabby and kissed her on the forehead.

"I'll leave you, get some privacy."

"Thanks Kelly. Thank you for everything ."

"No need to thank me. You would both have done the same for me."

"Of course."

On this, Kelly left the room without being really noticed by Matt and Louie, and Gabby came to sit on the still warm chair next to the bed, looking at the two men of her life in each other's arms. Gradually, as Matt was reading, being at the side of the one he now considered a father, the little boy allowed himself to relax, to the point of falling asleep into Matt's arms. When he had finished the story, Louie was deep asleep, and Matt couldn't help but to smile. He still couldn't get over the fact that Louie called him Dad. He had gone through so many things, and it was probably the first time he called the people fostering him daddy and mommy. That meant that he was attached, that he liked where he was, that he accepted Gabby and Matt, that meant so much.

"I was thinking about something recently", Matt began in a whisper so he wouldn't wake Louie.

"What is it."

"I could have died, you know?"

Gabby nodded slightly.

"Yeah. But you're too strong to beat that dirty Grim Reaper!"

The two began to laugh discreetly.

"What I meant was that... You were right."

Intrigued, Gabby decided not to say anything and let Matt speak. It was not often that he talked about his emotions and opened himself, so everything he had on his heart had to come out.

"I always wanted to have children, and... And you too. But... It did not really work. We've neglected our lives to bury ourselves in work, to forget it. Especially me. And this little fellow came into our life. Everything has changed ever since. We wanted children, and life gave us. Louie needed a loving family, and he has us, and all 51 now."

Gabby still did not understand where he wanted to go and made him understand at a glance.

"What I mean is... I am ready. I am more than ready to give all the love I have to Louie. To our... Son. I think it's time to adopt him. Together."

"You... Y-you…"

Gabby was unable to speak, letting herself be overcome by emotions and tears. She was happy. She had been thinking about it for several days, but she didn't want to talk about it to Matt, scared that he could turn and reject her again. But that was Matt's choice. And he was ready to move on to the next step. They were both ready to have a child. They were ready for Louie, for their son.


	12. Chapter 12

Good evening , in this beautiful Saturday (in any case, it was radiant for me).

I have taken over my revision time to give you the last chapter of this story as soon as possible, and to tell you the truth, I am proud of my work, a total of nearly 30K words, 3,5K for this last chapter).

I would like to especially thank texterlover for all these magical and adorable ideas she has had (for this last chapter, she did not help me, she knows ABSOLUTELY NOT what awaits her: D). I also thank NamineRedfield for her few translation on this chapter (I gave her the context, but not much, so she would be as surprised as you) and also you all who read and left a review that made me want to write you a wonderful story, and especially this last chapter.

I wanted to insert many references to the episodes of the shows (because 100 episodes, it is also celebrated among us, fictioners), and I hope you will all find them (there are plenty of them!) or at least a small part.

Thank you for following me on this story, and I hope you will love this end (advice: prepare your kleenex!)

* * *

 **CHAPTER 12: EPILOGUE**

 _ **Couple months later**_

Gabby was very nervous. She was pacing around, trying not to gnaw her beautiful nail painted for the occasion, but she couldn't. What if something happened? There were so much 'what ifs' in her head, spinning at full speed that it gave her a headache. Continuing to walk without stopping, she sighed.

"Gabby, no te muevas tanto, no puedo peinarte."

At the request of her mother, she stopped, sighing an umpteenth time. She made a gigantic effort to sit on the chair and closed her eyes.

"I'm too nervous, ma."

Camila smiled at her daughter's confidence.

"I was too, believe me. I felt like I was going to faint."

Gabby accompanied her with a slight laugh in order to relax, but nothing worked. But her mother could understand her fear, far more than anyone else.

"Are you afraid that Matt and you will end up like your father and me?"

"To tell you the truth... Yes. We had ups and downs, and... And I'm afraid to meet again a down moment and..."

"Bebé... I assure you that Matt is the right person. There's no doubt about that. You have always overcome the trials barring your way, you have lifted each other, you have loved each other. Whatever the obstacles, you will cross them."

"But ma. What if something serious happens? What if…"

"No 'what ifs', Gabby", interrupted her mother before she could go further. "We would make the world with your 'what ifs'. But the world of yours, it's Matt, and now Louie. Your world is your family, it's your man, it's your son."

"Technically, he's not our son yet, ma."

"But he's already for both of you. Where are you with the papers by the way?"

"They have not been given yet. We wait at least tomorrow, you know?"

"I understand, my dear. Can I style your hair now?"

"Yes, sorry."

Gabby took a deep breath, and turned to the mirror, letting her mother do her hair as perfectly as possible. Today was a great time. The nervousness she felt, Matt also felt it. In fact, he had less preparation than Gabby, but he couldn't think of anything else. He was pacing around too, turning around again and again.

"Pobre hombre, se pierde sin mi hermana."

Antonio couldn't help but gently tease Matt. But he had almost understood what Antonio had said; Gabby had taught him some Spanish. Therefore, Matt turned a second time, casting an almost black look at his brother-in-law.

"But everything will be alright, don't worry."

"Say the one who got divorced."

Uncomfortable, Matt stopped in his walk, closing his eyes and sighing. Why did he say that?

"Sorry."

"You don't have any filter when you're nervous", Antonio noticed.

It had been years since they knew each other, and he had just noticed this trait of personality in Matt.

"That's too bad, I would have invited you to come boxing, but I'm not really sure that Gabby would like to see you in front of the altar with bruises everywhere... Especially after your injury a few months ago."

Matt smiled nervously and ran his fingers over his new scar, or to be more precise, his two new scars. His dark blond hair had grown back very quickly. During the ten weeks off work that followed his journey to the hospital, Matt had questioned himself a lot. Gabby had done it before him when she left her job as a firefighter to come back as a PIC on ambulance 61, and he had thought a lot. The job was dangerous, he could have died on the operating table after a simple and innocent shock on his head, he could not make Louie endure such a thing, it was beyond his strength. After careful reflection and a serious discussion with Chief Boden and the headquarters, he decided not to resume his position as a lieutenant on truck 81. It was a relatively difficult decision to make, but he fully assumed the consequences. The fact that Louie had come into his life, the fact that he was now calling him 'daddy' had really changed everything, and changed his point of view about the job he had been doing for more than fifteen years. He even wondered how Herrmann could endure this job while having five children at home. Matt was ready to leave the Chicago Fire Department, but it was without counting on Chief Tiberg, who had perfectly explained how important he was, and even vital, to the great family they formed. He had then been offered a position among the teachers at the Academy, which he had accepted, in condition that he had time for his alderman duty as well as his son. It was the only condition he had made to take this job, and the headquarters had almost joyfully accepted, since it was a way for them to keep Casey in their rank. And in this way, new recruits had the opportunity to learn with one of the best. Someone knocked at the door, taking Matt and Antonio out of their respective thoughts. The person entered, it was Kelly with Louie in his arms.

"Hi big boy! So, are you ready?"

"Yeah!"

Matt then turned his attention to Kelly.

"So?"

"Almost everyone has arrived. Fortunately, we do this in a small community, otherwise there would have been a lot of Dawson siblings…"

"Hey, I'm here, I heard everything."

The three friends could not help but laugh. It was true that the family was relatively important in the Dawson family, but she had decided to make this event in private, with the closest relatives and friends, which Matt had greatly accepted. There were the parents, the siblings and their children, and also the members of the firehouse and their families. In total, they were just over forty to attend the event.

"Your mother seems to be as nervous as you, Matt. I don't know why, but she is."

"Do you think… You can bring her in? Maybe it will calm her down a bit."

"Yeah. Sure."

Kelly left the room, closely followed by Antonio with Louie in his arms. Matt needed to be alone with his mother. Still nervous, he began to pace again, and after five long minutes, someone knocked and entered. He turned to the door: his mother.

"Oh my God", she said, urgently placing her hands over her mouth. "How beautiful you are, my son."

"Mom…"

"Right, sorry."

Nancy approached her son, smiling.

"Do not be so nervous, Matthew. Everything will be alright."

"Everyone keeps telling me this."

"Maybe because it's true?"

"Mom, you got married, you got divorced. Christie got married and got divorced. Gabby's parents got married and they just got divorced. Her brother got married and got divorced. Everyone got divorced, so how can you tell me everything is going to be okay?"

Having said it all without taking his breath, Matt took a deep breath. Even his mother seemed surprised by his honesty, he had always kept everything to himself. But as Antonio said, when he was nervous, he had no filter and always said what he had on his heart. Nancy then approached a little more, passing her fingers maternally on the cheek of her son.

"I tell you this because I believe in it. I told you when I met her at the firehouse a few years ago, she is the woman with whom I always imagined you to be with. Gabriela is the woman who will fill this void that... That your father and I created in you. You love her, and she loves you. You are made for each other, trust me."

Shyly, Matt nodded. He was so nervous that he was ready to cry, but he held back his tears.

"Come here."

First reluctant, Matt let himself go when his mother came to embrace him, passing her warm hand in his icy neck. He even wrapped his arms around her waist to cuddle her back.

"Thanks Mom. It means a lot for Gabby and me."

"You sincerely believed that I was going to miss my own son's wedding? Even if I was still in prison, I would have done everything I could to not miss a single crumb of this."

Even though the subject was still a taboo for Matt, he smiled. His mother's love for him had never changed despite the gap he had tried to create when she had killed his father in cold blood. They stayed like this for a few minutes, in the arms of each other, before separating because everything was ready. Matt exhaled deeply.

"Uh... Mom?"

"Yes?"

As she was about to leave the room, she turned to her son.

"Would you like to… To come with me?"

Nancy smiled, nodding happily.

"Sure!"

She approached again, putting her arm around Matt's left one, and together they left the room to go to the main room. When they arrived, everyone turned to them. Nancy smiled proudly as Matt expressed his nervousness by being very tense. All the firefighters in the room had put on their uniforms, including Matt, and Kelly and Antonio had arranged for Louie to have a tailored one, with headquarters approval. It had not been easy, but they had successfully done it.

"Matthew Casey."

Surprised, Matt turned in a slight start and before he could react, someone had just embraced him in a friendly way.

"Chaplain Orlovsky!"

"Wallace called me a few days ago. You really thought you were getting married by a simple judge?"

Matt opened his mouth, but no sound came out, surprised.

"Are you going to marry us?"

"Obviously, you little scamp! And I am not drunk this time!"

He laughed, then turned to the first guest bench, looking down at Chief Boden. He had a smile on his face, as if he was proud of what he had organized. Matt nodded slightly, as a sign of gratitude, that Boden returned. In the second room, Gabby finished preparing herself with her mother and Sylvie. She had happily agreed to be one of Gabby's two witnesses, the second being Cindy, Herrmann's wife. It was almost time for the ceremony, and she was still too nervous. One last thought struck her and made her cry, ruining her make-up lightly.

"Oh, mi amor, what is it?"

Delicately, she ran her fingers under her eyes, trying to wipe away the tears.

"It's just that... Someone is missing, someone very important to me."

"Who is it?"

Gabby looked at Brett, and she immediately understood who it was.

"Shay", Sylvie said.

"Upon arriving at 51, she saw that... That Matt and I would form a great couple together. And I would have liked her tonight for my wedding, you know?"

"I understand perfectly, Gabby. But your best friend will always be there, in your heart. She is here today for your wedding."

Camila put her hand on Gabby's chest, on her heart. She could not help but shed some new tears, this time dried by her mother's fingers.

"Now, be happy. Because today you are going to marry the man of your life."

Sylvie left the room, going to find Gabby's father to accompany her to Matt in front of the chaplain. About five minutes later, Camila and her daughter also came out in front of Ramon, Gabby's father.

"Madre mia, look at you! You are so beautiful!" He exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with happiness.

"Gracias, pa."

They kissed on the cheek, Camila and Sylvie entering the large room to join the other guests. Gabby could not help exhaling a long time one last time before a music was heard. That was the moment.

"Let's get you married."

Gabby grabbed the hand that her father held out to her, and gently, one step after another, they moved forward together to the entrance of the room. In a second, everyone got up and looked at them, especially at her. Her heart was beating a mile per hour in her chest, her legs seemed to shrink at every step she made, Ramon could feel her trembling, both from nervousness and joy. Looking to the right and then to the left, her eyes locked on a man at the end of the alley. It was a man, dressed in his firefighter's uniform, with his lieutenant's distinction on his shoulders and his collar. It was Matt, ready to welcome her as he should. He had his eyes blocked on her since she had entered the room. His eyes had widened, his mouth had opened slightly, his breath had cut off in front of so much beauty. Gabby had chosen to wear a cream colored dress: her shoulders were uncovered and her jagged dress revealed her naturally tanned skin. Her hair was slightly curled and tied with a simple bar-shaped clip behind, and they hung down on her chest. She had no veil, and small braids of tissue came to adorn her neck like a necklace. She was perfect in this dress that trailed slightly on the ground. Arriving at the small altar made for the occasion, Ramon gave his daughter's hand to Matt, a sign that he now had the responsibility to protect and cherish Gabby. He kissed his daughter one last time and squeezed the hand of his son-in-law before leaving to sit beside his ex-wife, reunited for the occasion, for their daughter. Next to Matt, Kelly and Antonio also smiled, dazzled by the beauty of Gabby, while at her side, Sylvie and Cindy did the same. The music stopped suddenly, the people present sat down and the chaplain started speaking.

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, we're gathered here today in celebration of the marriage of two magnificent beings, Gabriela Dawson and Matthew Casey."

The two lovers could not help smiling, devouring each other with their eyes.

"You're really... Perfect", Matt sneered in a whisper.

"The couple formed by these two beings ready to unite in front of us, has experienced ups and downs, but has always been able to stand up, to appear even stronger. Against the winds and tides, they fought together, and today they are stronger than ever, ready to be together for life, to happiness and sadness, to wealth and poverty, to health and disease."

A little boy then walked along the main alley, advancing towards the couple and ascending the altar. Gabby couldn't contain her laugh in front of the tailor-made little firefighter uniform that Louie proudly wore.

"You have something for us young man, I guess", the chaplain said.

The little boy nodded, pulling from behind his back a small serrated cushion on which preached two rings held by the same tissue that Gabby wore at her neck. Matt tightened his grip on the hands of the woman of his life, trying to have her attention. She then looked into his blue eyes as he was about to speak.

"Gabriela Dawson. When I lost everything I had, you were there by my side. I told you that nothing makes sense anymore. But... Being with you, it allowed me to regain a taste for life, it allowed me to love you, to cherish you. We have gone through so many things, which we overcame together. And there are so many others waiting for us, but we will be ready. I will be there for you as you have been for me. Being with you has made a new sense to my life and I will cherish you until my last breath."

Touched by the words he had just uttered, she found difficult to restrain her tears. She did not expect him to make such a speech because it was not really intended. Emotional, she decided in turn to make a little speech.

"Matthew Casey. My love for you has only grown over the years, and... And although you were engaged, I accepted it. Because you seemed happy. When life decided to take Hallie away from you... I could read through this facade that you had created, I knew how to read in you as if you were me. I stood by your side for love, I helped you as I could so that your life could resume its course. And one day, you came to my door, and you confessed to me your feelings. I was the happiest of women at that very moment. And since then, we have faced countless obstacles, but we have gone through them. Together. I am more than ready to face the obstacles that will bar our way, with you at my side. And I'll always be there for you. Always."

They both smiled under the eyes of everyone. Almost immediately afterwards, chaplain Orlovsky spoke again.

"Matthew Casey, do you consent to take for wife, Gabriela Dawson?"

"I do", he said, smiling lovingly at Gabby.

She then took one of the alliances, both similar. It was a simple ring in white and yellow gold with two small encrusted diamonds, symbolizing their union. Inside, their names were engraved with the date of their union. She then gently slid this ring to Matt's left index finger.

"Gabriela Dawson, do you consent to take for husband, Matthew Casey?"

"I do", she said in turn.

Matt then took the second alliance, passing this ring on Gabby's finger. They took their hands again, continuing to devour each other tirelessly, as if there were alone in this little world of happiness.

"By the powers vested me by the State of Illinois and your witnesses, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Matt did not pray: he put his arms around her waist as Gabby put her hands on his neck and on his cheek, then they kissed as if it was the first time, under the acclamation of the gathered crowd, the cries of joy and the whistles. Together, they took Louie in their arms and kissed him tenderly, then went up the alley under the applause of everyone. As it was the case for the wedding of Trudy and Mouch, a small reception was held at the bar. Arriving at the door, Matt stopped as Gabby began to climb the steps with Louie.

"Matt?"

With this silence, she turned to him.

"Our love story started with this door, remember?"

Gabby remembered perfectly. He was the one who had taken her to this store to find some things for the bar, and she had found this magical door, because it was in front of a similar door that her parents had met. She put her hand on the door, smiling.

"I remember this as if it was yesterday."

The guests arrived and clustered around them, intrigued.

"I think I know what you have in mind."

Matt then turned to try to catch a glimpse of someone special.

"Cruz? Bring your butt in here!"

Surprised, he advanced towards the couple while the other members of the 51 understood almost instantly what this new married couple wanted.

"I trust you? Like the last time?"

In turn, he understood, taking his phone out of his pocket and nodded.

"Always."

He prepared his phone, Matt leaving him to join Gabby as he climbed the stairs and took Louie in his arms. As he could, he wrapped an arm around her waist as Gabby put her right hand on her husband's chest, Louie between the two lovers.

"Louie, make us your most beautiful smile", Cruz ordered. "First photo of the Casey family."

He was not four years old yet, but he understood that this moment was unique and that he had to savor it. He was between his two parents, and quietly he passed his right arm around Gabby's neck and his left arm around Matt's, then making his most beautiful smile. As the sun made an appearance through the clouds, Cruz took the picture, almost identical to the one he had realized a few years ago for the inauguration of Molly's. In two great details: Matt and Gabby were now married, and they had a third member in the family. Once the photo was made, the two lovers kissed again and kissed Louie together, Cruz immortalizing again this moment in the utmost discretion. Matt had said once that opening a door could close some others, but this one, it was an open door forever, no matter how many doors it would close. It was their door, the one of their union, of their love. And now they had Louie, they had their son. They had everything they need to be happy.


End file.
